There are no obvious or easy prescriptions for reversing the trends of the familial challenges that have grown deeper and wider in the last fifty years in regard to the number of babies born to unwed mothers, with the majority of all children born to women in their 20s. This article discusses the challenges regarding the marriage crisis in…

The Executive Committee and the Subcommittee on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention were charged to develop and provide leadership to implement a state plan to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Wisconsin. Both the negative outcomes for adolescent parents and their children and the cost to society are at issue. This document serves as a first step to…

This paper focuses on the causes, consequences and prevention of the alarming number of pregnancies among black teenagers. Teenage pregnancy is a symptom of the failure to have one's basic spiritual, intellectual/emotional, and physical needs met. Unmet infantile needs cause adolescents to search for romantic relationships in which they can…

In order to decrease out-of-wedlock births, government policies should be directed toward helping young couples stay together rather than discouraging marriage and focusing almost exclusively on the young mother and her child. Also discussed are attitudes toward marriage, father's role, stability of early marriages, children, and benefits of…

Presents a broad overview of recent trends, programs, and ideas aimed at solving the problem of unintended adolescent pregnancy. Asserts that the general problem of teenage parenthood results from a lack of options available to poor youngsters who, often, are members of minority groups. (KH)

Looks at issues surrounding teenage pregnancy and describes different school-based approaches to sex education. Stresses that parental involvement is critical to the success of any effective program for reducing teenage pregnancy. (RWB)

Critics who advocate encouraging pregnant teenagers to marry are mistaken. Teen marriages are distinctly less stable than marriages that occur after age twenty. Later marriers are less likely to be on welfare and are likely to have more education and fewer children. A hasty marriage makes a bad situation worse. (BJV)

Reviews issues surrounding adoption as an option for resolving teen crisis pregnancies. Examines the decision-making processes and social psychological consequences of adoption as a distinct phenomenon, including adoption rates and characteristics, factors influencing the adoption decision, birth mother response to adoption placement, and social…

The work of Joseph Gusfield provides the framework for analyzing the two different perspectives taken by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) to combat teen pregnancy. Gusfield first analyzed how the problem emerged and then identified "ownership" of the problem. According to Gusfield, the…

New studies demonstrate that many teen marriages are more resilient than had previously been believed; current policies promote single parenthood for teen mothers in the face of very little systemic information about young fathers and their potential for being providers, husbands, or parents. Marriage is a feasible option for many pregnant…

Gives statistical information on the "national epidemic" of teenage sexual activity and pregnancy and its consequences. Discusses social causes of this problem. Proposes that schools can help solve the problem by providing a formal sex education curriculum for pupils in kindergarten through grade 12. (CB)

Pregnant and parenting teenagers account for a sizable and growing proportion of the population served by public schools. Pregnant and parenting students face significant barriers to academic achievement, largely because traditional school environments often conflict with the competing demands of pregnancy and child rearing. Moreover, the children…

The rapid impoverishment of women and their children has serious implications for the American family and for the nation. This report includes testimony before the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women from national and state representatives of women's organizations, social services agencies, advocacy groups, and civil rights organizations. A…

This report in two volumes is the product of a year-long needs assessment undertaken by the Governor of Alabama's Commission for the Alabama Year of the Child. Volume I, which contains an overview and recommendations to the governor and the legislature, includes position papers and letters from the commission and interested citizens. These…