Babies of Next Generations

ARTICLE

Approximately 175,000 American girls have a child before they're 18 years old. Teen pregnancy often turns out to be a personal tragedy for these young women, n' it's also a very serious problem for the nation. In June 1996, the results of a study called "Kids Having Kids" showed that teen pregnancy costs taxpayers almost seven billion dollars per year.

Having a baby so early in life can lead to a number of social problems. 70% of teen moms don't finish hi school. Teen parents have higher proverty rates, n' there's a greater chance of their having to depend on money from the government. The problems get even worse for their children.

Babies of teen moms have a bigger chance of being born too soon n' may suffer more childhood health problems than children born to older moms. The children of teen moms often have trouble in school, n' they're more likely to fail a grade or to drop out. These children are also twice as likely to suffer from poor care or from abuse. N' the "Kids having Kids" study reported that the daughters of teen moms are up to 83% more likely to grow up to become teen moms too! That may be the biggest problem of all, cause these sad circumstances get repeated from one generation to the next.