Pop Goes the Wiesel

Being in the United States, we have one of the highest teen pregnancy in the western industrialized world. Did you know that 3 in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before the age of 20? That is around 750,000 teen pregnancies every year! Parenthood is the leading reason as to why girls drop out of school. Over 50% of teen others never graduate from high school. And do you know how many of those teen moms earn a college degree by age 30? 2%!

So how do you think those teen moms feel in this situation? Buzzfeed gives us a glimpse into these mothers lives by revealing real posts from actual teen moms on the popular, anonymous app Whisper. In the three-minute clip, you'll find comments that range from desperation like, "Being a teen mom sucks. Nobody wants to love you except for your kid," to shame, "I'm a teen mother sometimes I'm really proud of it. Other times, I hate myself for it," to hope, "I'm a teen mother who will be graduating college with honors this fall. Major and minor included. It's possible." Although these stories aren't easy to listen to, they are eye opening and incredibly moving.



So if you decide to to become sexually active know you have many options not only to protect yourself against STDs, but also unwanted pregnancies. But also know, if you do become a pregnant teen, it's not the end of the world.

Want to prank your friend? Sign them up on DoSomething to impregnate their phones! They will learn if they are ready to handle a child. If they can't handle a phone baby, they should definitely avoid getting pregnant. By entering them, you will also be entered to win a $2,000 scholarship!

Within the last few years, Colorado's teen pregnancies dropped 40%! With 750,000 teens 15-19 years old getting pregnant each year, I am curious Colorado's magic to lower their rates. Well, turns out there was no magic at all. According to the New York Times, Colorado's state program provided teens with free and reliable birth control without making them jump through hoops to get it. Literally, who woulda thunk? From 2009 to 2013, Colorado also offered women free IUDs, a tiny T-shaped contraceptive device that's both long acting (long like 6 years long) and highly effective. Within those six years, not only did the birthrate plummet, but abortions among teens also dropped 42%.


The only problem is that funding for federal programs-- as well as Planned Parenthood-- is being cut across America, and when the money runs out, the free IUDs do too. And because the devices can cost up to $900 out-of-pocket, it's a nearly impossible investment for many women, teens included. And now there are chlamydia rates skyrocketing in high schools that teaches an "Abstinence-Only" sex-ed policy! Sorry! Remember Coach Carr's speech in Mean Girls sex-ed class? "At your age, you're going to have a lot of urges. You're going to want to take off your clothes and touch each other. But if you touch each other, you will get chlamydia...and die."