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Teen Pregnancy Facts
According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the children of teen mothers are more likely to be born prematurely and at low birthweight, which raises the probabilities of infant death, blindness, deafness, chronic respiratory problems, mental retardation, mental illness, and cerebral palsy. Low birthweight also doubles the chance that a child will later be diagnosed as having dyslexia, hyperactivity, or another disability. The children of teen parents also suffer higher rates of abuse and neglect than would occur if their mothers had delayed childbearing. The daughters of teen parents are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers themselves. Additionally, in their report "Not Just Another Single Issue: Teen Pregnancy Prevention's Link to Other Critical Social Issues," published in 2002 identifies that "the sons of teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to end up in prison."