[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 16 (Thursday, January 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E181]]
                             TEEN PREGNANCY

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 1995
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
report for Wednesday, January 18, 1995, into the Congressional Record.
                             Teen Pregnancy

       There is no doubt that all of us should be concerned about 
     the number of teenagers having babies. These young people 
     must overcome formidable obstacles in order to become 
     independent adults capable of supporting themselves and their 
     families. All too often they fail, with dire consequences not 
     only for parents and children but for society.


                                 trends

       The U.S. has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of any 
     western industrialized nation. Before the end of their 
     teenage years, 43% of girls become pregnant.
       While the birth rate for adolescents has generally declined 
     in the last 30 years, births to unmarried adolescents have 
     steadily risen. In 1992, over half a million teens gave 
     birth, and 71% of them were unmarried. In 1991, 10% of all 
     births in Indiana were to single teens, compared to nine 
     percent of all births nationally.
       While the number of unmarried teens giving birth has 
     increased, the likelihood that they will place their children 
     for adoption has decreased. Furthermore, in most cases, the 
     fathers of children born to teen mothers are adults.


                              consequences

       The escalating rate of out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies has 
     disturbing consequences. First, teen mothers are more likely 
     to be economically disadvantaged before childbirth, and 
     usually remain poor after bearing a child. Two-thirds of 
     never-married mothers now raise their children in poverty. 
     Many teens who become pregnant do not finish high school, and 
     lack the skills necessary to find secure employment. 
     Unmarried teens are also less likely to receive financial 
     support from the father.
       Second, the human costs of teen pregnancy are substantial. 
     Teen mothers are likely to have another child, usually within 
     two years. These parents are even less likely to finish high 
     school or to marry. In addition, their children tend to fare 
     worse than those from two-parent families on measures of 
     health, education, and emotional and behavioral adjustment.
       The strain of too-early childbearing on adolescent mothers 
     is significant. They are more likely to describe their 
     children as ``difficult,'' and are less likely than older 
     mothers to provide adequate intellectual stimulation and 
     emotional support. And teen mothers also receive good 
     prenatal care less frequently than their older counterparts. 
     Consequently, they have a higher rate of premature birth and 
     low-birthweight babies. Lastly, children of teen parents are 
     much more likely to become teen parents themselves--creating 
     a cycle of poverty that is difficult to break.
       Not surprisingly, the costs to the public of teenage 
     childbearing are substantial. Three-quarters of single 
     teenage mothers begin receiving Aid to Families with 
     Dependent Children (AFDC) within five years of the birth of 
     their first child. Nearly half of long-term welfare 
     recipients are women who gave birth before age 17. One study 
     has concluded that over half of the total costs of AFDC, 
     Medicaid, and food stamps is attributable to households begun 
     by teen births, totaling $34 billion in 1992.


                           What can be done?

       There is no question that teenage parents bear daunting 
     responsibilities, and many of them try very hard to be good 
     parents. But there is also no question that we must do more 
     to lessen the toll of teenage childbearing.
       First, we must bring down the rate of teenage pregnancy. We 
     need to make teens better understand that their actions have 
     very serious consequences for which they are ultimately 
     responsible. Many people say that it is futile to try to 
     persuade teens to abstain from sex. But in my view, we have 
     no other choice. Teens receive a lot of pressure to engage in 
     sex, and we need to create some pressure in the other 
     direction. National leaders, the entertainment industry, and 
     sports figures should all be part of such an effort, as 
     should churches, schools, and most of all, parents. Teens 
     need to know about the risks of premature sexual activity--
     not just pregnancy, but also AIDS and other sexually 
     transmitted diseases. This message must be coupled with 
     efforts to provide teens with the information, confidence and 
     skills they need to make good decisions. Parents must teach 
     their children about responsible decision-making and sex. The 
     message should be clear: becoming a parent as a teen is a bad 
     deal for their children.
       More difficult, but equally important, is to give 
     disadvantaged teens some hope for a better future. Those who 
     feel that their future goals would be jeopardized by becoming 
     a parent too early have real incentives to delay parenting. 
     Those who feel that they have no future do not. A number of 
     private programs aimed at encouraging young people to stay in 
     school and pursue postsecondary education have shown promise.
       Second, we should develop ways to support families of 
     teenage parents without creating incentives for out-of-
     wedlock births. The challenge is to help the children of teen 
     parents without making out-of-wedlock childbearing an 
     attractive alternative. Fathers must be held responsible for 
     the support of their children. We must strengthen efforts to 
     establish paternity at birth and collect child support.
       Some have suggested cutting off government assistance to 
     teen parents. But what happens to the children? I believe we 
     should require teen parents to live at home and stay in 
     school in order to receive government assistance. Some teen 
     parents, of course, come from abusive or unstable households 
     and will not be able to live at home. For these children, we 
     should establish community-based facilities to house and 
     support young families while the mother completes school or 
     job training.
       Raising children is not easy, even for mature adults. It is 
     extraordinarily difficult for young people who are still 
     growing up themselves. I believe that we must emphasize to 
     teenagers that youthfulness does not absolve them from 
     responsibility for their actions. At the same time, we have 
     an obligation to help young parents who are struggling to 
     raise their children.
     

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