[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E873-E874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TEEN PREGNANCY

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 22, 1996

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, May 22, 1996, into the Congressional Record.

            Bringing Up Baby: The Problem of Teen Pregnancy

       Hoosiers are concerned about the moral fiber of our 
     country. They talk to me about the decline of basic values, 
     particularly among young people. Every time they open the 
     papers or watch the evening news they see stories about crime 
     and drug use, failing schools, and deteriorating 
     neighborhoods.
       We can talk all day about the root causes of these problems 
     and possible solutions. But what I hear from Hoosiers most 
     often is the urgent need to revitalize and strengthen our 
     families. They have a very strong sense that the breakdown of 
     the traditional family may explain many of the difficulties 
     experienced by today's youth.
       I am most alarmed by the growing number of teen 
     pregnancies. The United States has the highest rate of teen 
     pregnancy of any country in the industrialized world, at 1.2 
     million per year, and studies have shown that teen parents 
     and their children are prone to experience more emotional, 
     economic and social problems than older parents.


                             recent trends

       The statistics on teenage pregnancy are sobering. Of the 
     1.2 million teens who become pregnant each year, half will 
     give birth, and most of them will remain single. Most of 
     these young women and their babies live in poverty, and the 
     cycle of poverty continues into subsequent generations. 77% 
     of unmarried, adolescent mothers go on welfare within five 
     years of giving birth, and the federal government spends 
     about $34 billion each year on families started by teens.

[[Page E874]]

       Indiana has the 19th highest birth rate among unmarried 
     teens ages 15 to 19 in the country. Total births to women 
     aged 10 to 19 reached 11,842 in 1993. Of those births, 77% 
     were out-of-wedlock, a 28% increase since 1983. 450 teenagers 
     under the age of 17 gave birth to a second child in 1993.


                       problems for teen families

       Teen families confront numerous difficulties. Mothers and 
     babies face serious health risks. Teenagers engaging in 
     premature sex expose themselves to the risks of sexually 
     transmitted diseases, and teen pregnancy too often leads to 
     abortion. Babies born to teen mothers often are premature and 
     underweight. Teen parents are less likely to finish high 
     school and gain the skills necessary to secure employment, 
     resulting in a dependency on welfare that is hard to break. 
     Nearly half of long-term welfare recipients are women who 
     gave birth before the age of 17.
       Studies also suggest that the children of teen parents fare 
     worse than those from two-parent families on measures of 
     health, education, and emotional and behavioral adjustment. 
     Childhood abuse and neglect--which children of teens often 
     are victims of--increase the odds of future delinquency and 
     adult criminality by 40%. And children of teen parents are 
     far more likely to become teen parents themselves.


                    why teen pregnancies are rising

       There is no easy explanation for the rising number of teen 
     pregnancies. Many teen parents were born into a world of 
     poverty, teenage parenthood, and welfare dependency that they 
     have difficulty escaping. Few teen parents have the same 
     hopes, dreams and aspirations as the average American 
     teenager, or the self-confidence and feeling of self-worth 
     necessary to set goals for the future. Many see having a 
     child as a comfort in a difficult life.
       Broader social factors also contribute to this problem. We 
     live in a more permissive culture, where teen parenthood and 
     out-of-wedlock births carry less of a social stigma than they 
     once did. We read every day about celebrities and star 
     athletes having children out-of-wedlock, and we see the same 
     thing in movies and on television programs. We also don't 
     educate young people about the risks associated with teen 
     parenthood.


                            what can be done

       First, we must work to bring down the number of teenage 
     pregnancies. We must persuade teens to abstain from sex, to 
     not give in to peer pressure, and to accept the traditional 
     values in their lives. One of the most valuable things we can 
     do is instill in young people feelings of self-confidence and 
     self-worth, help them set goals for their future and help 
     them achieve these goals. All teenagers must realize they 
     have many options in life--to go to school, to work, to 
     contribute to their communities, and in all this to make 
     responsible decisions. If teens feel that their future goals 
     would be jeopardized by becoming a parent too early, they 
     will have real incentives to delay parenthood.
       Second, we must find more effective ways to support 
     families of teenage parents without creating incentives for 
     out-of-wedlock births. Fathers must be held responsible for 
     the support of their children; about 60% of teen births are 
     fathered by older men on average five or six years older than 
     the mother. I support efforts to establish paternity at birth 
     and to strengthen child support collection. Furthermore, teen 
     parents should be encouraged to live at home and stay in 
     school whenever this is an option. President Clinton recently 
     unveiled a plan to make federal assistance contingent on such 
     living arrangements.
       Third, for those teen parents whose households are abusive 
     or unstable, we should establish community-based facilities 
     to house and support young families while the mother 
     completes school or job training. Much of the national 
     discussion about teen pregnancy has highlighted the success 
     of these ``second chance homes.'' Places like St. Elizabeth's 
     in New Albany have high success rates in teaching teen 
     mothers how to provide safe, loving, and stable homes for 
     their babies.


                              conclusions

       Raising children today is extraordinarily difficult, even 
     for mature adults. For young people, who themselves are still 
     growing up, the issue is much more complicated. We must do 
     what we can to prevent young people from entering parenthood 
     too soon, to help them realize their full potential as 
     individuals with promising futures, and to accept the 
     responsibility and the consequences of their actions.
       Governments can also work in partnership with private 
     groups, charities and churches to help young parents create a 
     healthier environment in which their children can grow. Many 
     teenage parents try very hard to be good parents, but the 
     challenges are daunting. Community-based programs have proven 
     successful at helping these teenagers become more responsible 
     parents and more productive citizens, and we should continue 
     to encourage these efforts.

                          ____________________