Decreasing Teen PregnancyDecreasing teen pregnancy has been a constant battle for the United States in recent years. America has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the Western part of the world despite not being the leader in the number of sexually active teenagers. The main problem is that here in the United States we don't educate our children enough about safe sex. Our children end up learning on their own and eventually end up having a child due to the lack of knowledge they have. They also take something away from one's life, because raising a child is a difficult task for anyone. The best way for teenagers to decrease their pregnancy rate is to practice abstinence. It helps control the birth rate and stops the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Most teenagers have sex because of peer pressure and fear of being left out. Abstinence is very important, but the friends your child chooses are also important to how they approach sex. If everyone is doing it around them, they will eventually fall into the trap of peer pressure and start having sex. Abstaining from sex and learning more about sex is a good way to raise awareness and prevent pregnancy. According to the Guttmacher Institute, "teen pregnancies have decreased 28 percent since 1990 due to pregnancy education and literature distributed in schools." Traditionally, parents taught their children how to have sex, but now with families on the go it's difficult to focus on this aspect. Most parents rely on sex education in school to help increase their teen's knowledge about sex and pregnancy. I think this knowledge should start as soon as a child is able to adhere to all the information and understand how their body works. It is…middle of the paper…an age that has ranged from 15% to 52% since 1991” (Allan Guttmacher Institute 5). The rise and flow of knowledge for our adolescents will help continue the decrease in the number of teenagers. Teenagers should have complete knowledge of the consequences of having a child before they are ready. To reduce teenage pregnancies it is up to us as a whole to help our children find a better lifestyle and achieve their dreams and. their education before they. become parents. Work Cited: Allan Guttmacher Institute (2006). Teen Pregnancy Statistics: National and State Trends by Race and Ethnicity New York: Allan Guttmacher Institute. Sharing Lessons Learned (2006). Love Connection. National Center for Health Statistics: National Vital Statistics Reports, September 25, 2001. Justice and Democracy Forum Report, November 5.. 2004.