My paper is going to be on the idea
that sex education is failing in our country. Teen pregnancy has become a
common occurrence in our society and I believe that we should be working harder
to prevent this problem. We should be trying to correct the skewed images that
young teens have about the idea of pregnancy. Instead of trying to backtrack
and correct these problems, we are actually encouraging this sort of behavior.
With shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” on television, it enforces the
idea that teen pregnancy is normal and common. Young adults often watch these
television shows for the laughs – who wouldn’t want to laugh at the idiotic
things on these shows? I believe it is okay for young adults and older
teenagers to watch these shows because we are able to discern right from wrong
better and decide that it would not be the best idea to turn out like the girls
on this show. Even if this show did encourage an 18 year old to get pregnant,
it may be stupid, but it is a little more normal to see a girl of 18 pregnant. However,
for the younger teenagers and preteens (ages 10-17), these young girls may not
be able to distinguish what is so bad about these shows. Instead of encouraging
young girls to grow up a little bit and find themselves and make something of
themselves, these shows send the message that it is commonplace to have a child
and drop out of high school. These shows send the message that if you screw up and
get pregnant, you won’t have to worry about the consequences (actually raising
a child) and you’ll get a television show out of it. Instead of having shows
that are empowering and encouraging to young women, these shows enforce the
idea that it is okay to screw up because someone else will clean up your mess
for you.
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