living in poverty are likely to view early childbearing as a positive, desirable choice. These teens feel that becoming pregnant may in fact improve their lives. Economics may also be responsible for the lower percentage of poor teens who terminate their pregnancies, since Medicaid policies in most states do not pay for abortions, but do pay for services related to childbirth. In addition, some researchers postulate that teenagers consider having a baby as a conscious desire to become welfare dependent. These teens deliberately become pregnant and have babies in order to collect welfare and set up their own households. However, teen mothers are more likely to live in poverty than women who delay childbearing, and nearly half of unmarried teens receive welfare at some time within two years of giving birth.Many pregnant teens believe that their babies will lead lives very different from their own. Poor, inner city, undereducated women live with drug addiction, violence, and a sense of hopelessness. Therefore they feel that by having a child will improve their lives, when in fact they are only exposing their child to the same life they lead. In addition, poor teenagers are more sexually experienced than those of higher incomes, yet they use contracetption less frequently and less successfully, and thus they have higher rates of pregnancy (Trickett, 20).Chances of higher education and well paying jobs diminish substantially for teen mothers. One study documented that teens that prioritize education and future occupations were less likely to become teen parents and they delay their first sexual intercourse. Similarly, poor grades are related to the early initiation of sexual behavior. The direct results of teenage pregnancy frequently include high dropout rates, for one in three pregnant teens do not complete high school. On average, pregnant teens complete fewer years of school. For teens in abusive relationships, sexual and ...
