Archive Report
Archive Report
Epidemic of Teenage Pregnancy
Concern for Welfare of Pregnant Teens
The birth of a child usually is an occasion of great joy. But for thousands of teenagers, especially those who are unmarried, childbirth can usher in a dismal future of unemployment, poverty, welfare dependency, emotional stress and health problems for mother and child. “The girl who has an illegitimate child at the age of 16 suddenly has 90 percent of her life's script written for her,” population expert Arthur A. Campbell has written. “Her choices are few and most of them are bad.”1
President Carter's proposed budget for fiscal year 1980, sent to Congress Jan. 22, included a $60 million request for a new program to provide medical and other supportive services to pregnant teenagers, adolescent parents ...