physical violence are often connected. Pregnant teen women often have a history of physical, sexual, and/or family violence. Teens who have experienced childhood or adolescent sexual abuse also have greater sexual vulnerability, which increases the risks of unintended pregnancy and further abuse. Girls who were sexually abused as children are far more prone to risky sexual behavior and early pregnancy as adolescents. In a sample of 500 teen mothers, two-thirds had histories of sexual and physical abuse. According to Trickett of Women’s Health Weekly, "this shows that while the sexually abused girls are having more sex and thinking about it more, they're also having more negative thoughts about the experience and feeling more pressure" (Trickett, 19). Many teens that have experienced childhood sexual abuse don’t believe that they can control what happens to them or their bodies. They may have difficulty making choices that prevent them from exposure to further abuse or unintended sexual consequences, such as pregnancy.Another reason for the increase in teen sexual activity is that the age of puberty slowly has been dropping. Since puberty is reached now by even preteens, the sexual drive amongs teens has increased. The age for sexual activities is becoming younger and younger. Since these teens are so young, they have not been properly educated about the risk of teen pregnancy. They are also less likely to use contraceptive, and if used they are generally used improperly. The dramatic increase in sexually permissive attitudes among the young has recently been proven. In a recent Wall Street Journal poll, for example, 47% of respondents ages 18-29 said that premarital sex is not wrong at all, compared to only 12% of people in the 65 and over age category. In addition, contraceptive use has increased, but the use is often inconsistent and in any event is not enough to offset the increase in sexual activity (Wall Street...
