Adolescent Pregnancy and Public Policy
Although teenage pregnancy has recently emerged as a major social "problem," its frequency is by no means a recent social phenomenon. The appropriate age for sexual relations and parenthood has always been a matter of cultural definition, and in the United States it has varied considerably across time, region, class, race, ethnicity, and gender. Over the past two centuries, the age at which childbirth is biologically possible has declined, while the period of adolescents' economic dependence has increased. One result of these changes has been a growing cultural conflict over reproductive choices during the transition to adulthood. During the past two decades, the rising birth rate among unmarried teenagers has prompted increasing national concern but no coherent policy. Much of the problem stems from disputes over the nature of the problem. Is the primary issue morality, fertility, or poverty? What choices should adolescents make in sexual relationships, what role should the state play in shaping the choices available, and who should decide those questions? This article explores public policies on adolescent pregnancy against their broader historical, legal, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Its central premise is that such policies have frequently misdescribed the