Teen pregnancy seem consistent at East, but for the past 5 years, the national teen pregnancy rate has decreased. 

The United States birth rate in 2014 was 32 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 or 2,992 live births, representing a steady decrease since 2007, when the birth rate was 66.1. In 2015, there were 27.5 births per 1,000 girls age 15 to 19, a 67 percent drop from the rate of 85.2 in 1999. Hispanic adolescent females ages 15 to 19 had a higher birth rate 31.9 births per 1,000 adolescent females than black adolescent females 29.3 and white females 14.3.  In a random survey of 100 Morton East students, 70% students said they think there are more pregnant girls this year and 30% said there’s not much pregnant girls this year.   

“I still would want to go to college after high school,” senior (and mother) Jocelyn Camacho said.  

A student’s life doesn’t stop when they become a parent, but the baby becomes the most important part of your life.   

“I wouldn’t change a time because my baby changed my life,” a senior student mom said.  

A baby is a big part of your life and the most important too but sometimes it’s the wrong time.  Having a child should be joyful, but often, if you’re unprepared, the child could cause adversity, or problems with school, family and relationships. .  

“My advice to teens would be wait to become a mom,” Jocelyn Camacho said.  

“In 2006, I started teaching and (compared to then) there’s less girls pregnant. In 2006 there were about 200 girls pregnant and now (I’d say) there’s about a quarter that. This generation has learned from older siblings and from mistakes of other people,” Mr. Reid said.  

Generations have learned from what they see or sometimes they don’t have role models or parents to be telling them what’s right and wrong.  

“First year I started being a dean I saw a decrease. But, from last year to this year it has been the same. It’s been increasing because lack of education and ignorance about being safe,” Ms.Rzadzki said.