ion, and the development of more effective means of contraception, most notably the birth control pill, sex and pregnancy were successfully decoupled. The legalization of abortion meant that a pregnancy did not have result in a birth. The sexual revolution of the 1960s significantly affected the way Americans viewed sex, and more and more children were growing up in postmodern families, that is, those without their biological mother and father (Luker 83). Though these broad demographic changes applied to women and men of all ages and races, they were seen as problems that primarily concerned teens, particularly the teenage mother who came to personify the social, economic, and sexual trends that affected everyone in America (Luker 23).The 1980s and 1990s brought with them social factors that further contributed to the public perception that teen mothers were the root of most social problems, particularly those of poverty, crime, drugs and violence. The American economy was in recession. Poverty rates were on the rise while real wages were falling. Loss of jobs in the middle class brought with it the fear of poverty and of their own daughters becoming pregnant and poor as a result. American students were dropping out of high school and AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependant Children) costs were skyrocketing. Racial inequalities in education, income, and social standing became more apparent, and many argued these discrepancies were the result of the marked difference in the birthrates of white and black teenagers. All of these factors came together to create a story that emerged in the media and in public policy circles of the late twentieth century. The story of teenage pregnancy fulfilled the publics need to explain a number of dismaying social phenomena and led them to think that heedless, promiscuous teenagers were responsible for a great many disturbing social trends (Luker 86). In Dubious Conceptions, Luker provides example...
