Research Topic # 2 Teenage Pregnancy

       The second topic i wanted to dicuss is Teenage Pregnancy. I think that , that's a major issue going on to the country.It's a really difficult thing to deal with especially when you have school , and other plans. The part that is most difficult is telling your parents that you got pregnant. Some teens always try to deny it or ignore with can damage how the baby physically and mentally come out.
  
       Teen pregnancy rates in the United States declined steadily from 1991 to 2005 from 60 out of 1000 teenagers in 1991 to 40.5 out of 1000 in 2005. However, the teen pregnancy rate increased for two years in a row in 2006 and 2007,to more than 42 out of 1000. Approximately one-third of young women in the United States become pregnant during their teens. More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended and unintentional. The highest teen birth rate occurs in Hispanic women 83 out of 1000 in 2006.Its really bad thatthe percentage of it, is going up and up each year.

     On mtv the have a show called " 16 and Pregnant " It shows 6 girls who are 16 and who are pregnant. It shows all the tough decisions they have to make. One girl ended up not being able what she wanted to because of her pregnancy, they have to deal with all their peers looking at them , saying and thinking mean and rude coments. It sounds easy, but after watching what happened to these girls I realize it's not easy. Some of them were really poor, and couldn't even afford these babies. Here's a trailer  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLiXS02Mj7U . They can't have fun in their highschool years, because they have a baby to deal with.

    The Grandparent(s) end up having to take care of the baby during the day because the want their child to have an education. Some Grandparents have to give up what they have just to take care of the baby. And it'a stressful because the mother and the grandparents have to stop hanging out with their friends, stop going to work because they have to take care of one baby.

Did you know ?

•  85 percent of teenage pregnancy are unplanned,
• 15 percent of teenage pregnancies are planned
• The reason for lack of prenatal care is  delayed by pregnancy testing
• Because the body of a teen is still growing ,she will need more nutritional support to meet both her needs and that of her baby
• It's advised that if you have a teenage pregnanacy that you get counseling
• Lack of the proper amount of nutrition can lead to problems like anemia (low iron), low weight gain, etc.
• A problem is that teen mothers uses drugs, alchohol, and smoking cigarettes which can really damage the baby
• Premature birth create a problem, like brain damage,physical disabilities and more
•  Many of the teen mothers who take active roles in their care do go on to have healthy babies  
• Sometimes teenage pregnancies bring families together

Research Topic # 1

            My first Research topic is about child abuse. I started deeply thinking about child abuse when I saw a movie dealing with this serious topic.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2edpgb2EKo&feature=related.
The movie is called Bastard out of Carolina . It struck me because there are other girls and boys who have to deal with it. And it's really horrible.
         
      In an article i read it said child abuse isn't just physical violence.http://helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm.
People always think that is just physical, but it's there are many types of child abuse. For ex. when parents   "Forget" to feed their child ( Neglect ) that's is a sign of child abuse. When parents say to their child your worthless, you were a mistake that's child abuse, that's emotional child abuse. People always think that abused children always grow up to be abusers. But that isn't true when children grow up they would most definetley avoid being a child abuser. They don't want their child having to grow up like they had to. People also think that child abusers are bad people, that's not true. Because some people have a problem and they're are really good people, but they have a mental problem.
  
   When people abuse their child, they get insecure about themselves. They don't trust people. Growing up with out trust is bad, because when in adult hood their relationship might turn out bad because they had no trust as a child. And they won't be able to trust anyone.
 
    Another way is sexual abuse, the character in Bastard out of Carolina dealt with it. Her stepfather sexual abused her ( but you have to read the book for detail). Some sexual abuse dosen't have to be touching, but exposing a child to sexual  situations. It actually scars them for life. It's something they shouldn't feel or see.
 
   The article also mention signs of Emotional Abuse if the child get's scared of doing the wrong thing, or isn't attached to parent(s) as well as they should be.

   Signs of Physical Abuse is if the child has weird cuts on body or wearing innapropriate clothing to cover marks like wearing a sweater on 100 degree days or very flichy and afraid of someone touching him or her.
  
     Sign's of Neglectual Abuse is the child's clothes are filthy if their hygiene like unwashed hair or has body odor. Or has  Untreated illnesses and physical injuries. And is frequently late or absent from school.

   Sign's of Sexual Abuse is having trouble walking or sitting, displays their knowledge of sex. Makes efforts to avoid people, has problem changing clothes in front of parents.Or runaway's from home.

 There is also this song called Runaway Love by Ludacris ft. Mary J. Blidge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvMS6s41vY . It deals with all types of child abuse.


   My personal opinion is that I hate the fact that boy's and girls have to deal with this. It's horrible that parents think physically discplining kids will teach them to behave , they just grow up in fear of everything and that truly sucks.

Writing Assignment for Social Awareness #2 ( A poem or a song)

Change
You
    have
         the
            power
                   to
                    change
                             the
                               world
                                     change
                                             your
                                                   actions
                                                           change
                                                                    the
                                                                        enviornment
                                                                                         change
                                                                                                  the
                                                                                                     mean
                                                                                                           in
                                                                                                            you
                                                                                                        and
                                                                                             replace
                                                                                          it
                                                                                 with  
                                              

                                  LOVE                                                                                  

Social Awareness Entry #1

     In America Gays and Lesbians are fighting for their rights but I looked up Gays and Lesbians rights in Jamaica. People are being arrested if they're Gay. Up to 10 years in prison if exposed. Men they can't do ANYTHING. People are starting organizations about that. They even started something about it in 1974 called the " Gay Freedom Movement ".  They made a Gay Freedom Constitution. Here's the link http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_Gay_Freedom_Movement_of_Jamaica,_West_Indies:_January_13,_1980
Especially in Jamaica all the violence happening now it makes it worse for them. People are willing to kill men.
   The thing that more ticked me off was that Lesbians are free to be Lesbians, they do get critisized but they don't have to do 10 years in prison like men have to and it's really cruel.