Date of Award

1995

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 1995 W. Eric Burton. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Black Studies Program, Economics Department

Abstract

In this paper, I will attempt to analyze the current policies, ideas and attitudes concerning black teenage pregnancy. I felt it was necessary to gather opinions and evidence from several different angles. Chapter one entitled What Happened? gives data regarding black teenage pregnancy rates from 1955–1982. Chapter two, Advocating Better Services, takes a look at Frank Furstenberg's work Adolescent Mothers in Later Life and a work by Alan Guttmacher entitled Teenage Pregnancy: The Problem That Hasn't Gone Away. policy makers who believe the government is directly or indirectly tied to black teenage pregnancy issues. In chapter three, The Case For Better Sex Education, I examine Kristin Moore's work Child and Circumstance. This work boldly targets young black teens as a high risk population which needs to be educated toward sexual responsibility. Chapter four, Solutions From Inside The African-American Community, explores Cornell West's theories of African-American nihilism in the work Race Matters. Chapter five looks at the dilemma from an African-American feminist perspective. The work examined is bell hooks' Sisters Of The Yam—a self help recovery book aimed at young black females. These authors, when put together show each other's theoretical shortcoming along with their own. Each authors fills in the gaps or provides a deep contrast to teenage pregnancy.

Keywords

Black teenage pregnancy, government prevention, pregnancy prevention, Black youth, Black sexuality, sex education

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