ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT, NOT LEAD POST--NO NEED FOR GROUP TO RESPOND

please ignore this post fellow blog friends.
this is what i get for being stuck in snow on friday.

Is teen pregnancy a social problem or not?
Yes, absolutely.
A social problem is defined as "a matter which directly or indirectly affects a person or many members of a society and are considered to be problems, controversies related to moral values, or both" (retrieved from wikipedia).  I believe teen pregnancy encompasses both aspects of the definition provided.
Obviously, teen pregnancy affects both the teen mother and teen father.  However, this is also an issue that affects their family, friends, schooling, and the life of their unborn child.
Teen pregnancy is also largely perceived as a moral issue.  According to the Guttmacher Institute, on average, young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but they do not marry until their mid-20s.  Although this is partially due to the feminist movement (women are more focused on careers than family), and the sexual revolution (sex is everywhere and more permissible), some still believe that sex should be saved for marriage.  These opposing views have escalated into a controversy for many.
And because young adults are waiting longer to marry, they are at increased risk of unwanted pregnancy and STIs as well (which creates more social/moral problems).
There is also the moral issue of what to do with the baby - abortion, adoption, raising it as a teen parent...
I feel like I could go on and on about how and why teen pregnancy is a social problem.  It affects so many people in so many ways - physically, fiscally, emotionally, etc.  I hope my response is sufficient.

- clare powell