Teen Pregnancy and the Welfare System In 2011, a total of 329,797 children were born to women between the ages of 15 and 19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) . Most people in their late teens and early twenties, with the desire to succeed, attend or should attend college. Instead, a large number of young women today put their lives on the back burner because they are pregnant. With the ongoing recession in the United States, supporting and raising a child while also taking care of yourself has become very tiring. As teenagers, it is almost impossible for them to imagine how much money and effort is needed to have a baby. People who decide to become parents at such a young age struggle to provide everything necessary for themselves and their children. This makes it imperative for them to take advantage of the welfare system and all that it provides. As indicated by the Baby Cost Calculator, the first year after the birth of the baby it will cost $10,158 to provide for the baby's needs (Baby Center). That amount of money could easily cover two years of school at a small community college, or even a year at a university. Josefina J. Card states that “teenage mothers are less likely to complete high school than their classmates, and they are also more likely to end up on welfare” (Annual Review of Public Health). Teenage pregnancy is not an issue that should be supported in any way. Teen pregnancy rates are increasing every year. This is an edifying problem that needs to be solved. No real solution to this question has been found. Instead our government shells out money we don't need to support these needy teenagers rather than helping others in our society who are suffering. Michael D. Tanner, co-editor of The Cato Ins...... half of the paper ......"Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Do All Programs Work?" Annual Review of Public Health 20 (1999): 257-85. ProQuest. Network. March 10, 2014. "Teenage pregnancy background." Teenage mothers. New York City: Women's Health Channel, 2012. Dosomething.org. Network. March 9, 2014 "First year child cost calculator". Baby Center LCC, 1997-2011. Network. March 10, 2014Glazer, Sarah. "Welfare reform". CQ Researcher 3 August 2001: 601-32. Network. March 13, 2014. “Workforce Statistics.” U.S. Department of Labor, 2013. BLS.gov/CPS. Network. March 11, 2014 Tanner, Michael D. “Welfare Reform.” Cato Institute. Finance Commission, 9 March 1995. Web. 13 March 2014. "The importance of prevention." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 5, 2013. Web. March 12, 2014. “Wellness Information.” US welfare system: help for US citizens. 2012. Network. 11 March. 2014