In Massachusetts, teens are becoming young parents and potentially ruining their future. I think it is time we asign all teenagers to raise fake baby dolls that act like real babies in health class during sex eduation in all schools around this state. In this assignment, called the “Baby Project”, a pair of students will co parent a baby doll and experience what it is like to raise a child. In my school, we have a teen clinic where they can provide teens with many things like birth control, condoms, and pregnancy tests.
In 2017, more than 190K babies were born by women ages 15-19. I believe to lower the birth rates, we should try to make this project happen to show how hard it is to raise a child at such a young age. This idea may even up preventing many teenage pregnancies. Teens who are pregnant are much more likely to drop out of school, as the task of getting an education along with raising a child is extremely difficult.
Pregnant teens and their unborn children have unique medical risks. If teens do not have any support from legal parent/guardian they are at risk at not getting prenatal care which is extremely important, especially in the first couple months of pregnancy. They are at a higher risk at getting high blood pressure, getting high blood pressure while pregnant can cause excess protein in urine, swelling of a mother’s face and hands, and organ damage. All of these causes can disrupt the unborn child’s growth in the womb. Other risks include premature birth, low-birth-weight baby, STDs, and postpartum depression. Teens who are usually active and have support are more likely to have a strong and healthy birth.