This raises their probabilities of infant death, blindness, deafness, chronic respiratory problems, mental retardation, mental illness, and cerebral palsy. It doubles the chance that the child will later be diagnosed as having dyslexia, hyperactivity, or other disability. Young parents are often less able to provide an environment for the early cognitive stimulation needed for adequate brain development. Consequently, children born to teenage mothers tend to do worse in school, where they are 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade, perform much worse on standardized tests, and ultimately less likely to complete high school. Their problems continue into adolescence where they are likely to have higher rates of behavioral problems and higher rates of abuse and neglect.
Society pays a price for teenage childbearing, as well.
Sons of teen moms experience higher rates of crime and are 13 percent more likely to end up in prison. And the repetitive cycle of teen parenting is seen as teen daughters are 22 percent more likely to become teen moms themselves. Certainly a strong beginning would be for the entire community to embrace the basic social norm that teenage years are for education and growing up, not pregnancy and parenthood. It is important to emphasize the consequences to teens and to public. But it is equally clear that reducing teen pregnancy requires that better, more attractive options be on hand for young women.