Reducing the Adverse Consequences of Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting: The Role of Service Programs

The optimal way to reduce the adverse consequences of adolescent childbearing and child rearing is to prevent conception or birth. However, no country has been able to prevent all such births, and it is likely that the U.S. will continue to experience high rates of teenage childbearing. Services such as those described herein must be provided to reduce the hazard to the mother and child, encourage adequate parenting by both parents, and reduce the burdens on welfare and other social services caused by adolescent parenting.