Is the peak years of fertility for women between 17-23? If this is true, it has profound implications for the West and it’s society. If it’s not true, there is less profound implications.

Can anyone cite credible scientific research to either back up or disprove the claim?

Thanks.

Meanwhile as noted, teen mothers with no husband and no responsibility or skills have kids that will end up fatherless and/or on welfare. Motherhood is too important a job to be left to the unskilled or immature. It is the most important job there is. I would not trust a 16 year old with it.

I would trust a responsible 26 year old with it, however. We need to change our culture and society, to encourage marriage and children in the twenties, with women choosing carefully responsible men, and being able to re-enter the workforce with no penalty after three-five years. With men expected to fully share in all household and child care chores.

That same 16 year old, if she does not get pregnant, continues her education, becomes skilled, and marries a responsible and mature young man, can be a fine mother at 26.

For one thing, as Richard of Oregon points out, these teen mommies are usually too young and inexperienced to raise a kid by themselves. Let’s face it; a lot of them aren’t going to finish school or train for a career. Too many of them just wait around for the next “boyfriend” to come along, meanwhile dumping their kid on their grandparents, while they go party. Even by their mid-twenties, they won’t have had the experience of supporting themselves, or possess any really useful skills.

Both of my daughters supplemented the abstinence only sex education at school with a healthy dose of reality (see the comments by Sally)and serious birth control information when the children came home and asked WHY they should not have sex. Imagine a sex ed class that does not teach WHY abstaining is important as it relates to what the life of a teenage parent is.

Their answers included disease, teen pregnancy, no college, no dates, friends, football games, no new clothes, welfare, food stamps and all of the other drawbacks of being an unwed parent.

As a result the children have decided to remain celibate until marriage. Time will tell.

No, but they didn’t have me at 16. And again, at that time, there weren’t many career options for women besides housewife/mother.

Having a family is a very fulfilling life. Not that silly-girl random teen pregnancy is the equivalent of an intact family nor do I argue that it is s good thing. But the equate having a family while young with putting your “life on hold” is ridiculous. Not everyone needs to go to college before they settle down with a family. If it’s about being a responsable parent, one might want to defer a career in order to raise ones children.

Do you think your parents put their life on hold by having and raising you?

Barring irresponsible behavior, isn’t the operative word and idea “choice”?

The Common Dreams article is a mish mash of sexism, perversity and some diatribe about an Australian child care law I don’t care to read about at the moment. I can’t quite decide if his praise of badly behaved, lewdly dressed girls is farce, or if he is just an idiot.

I don’t see why we’re any less qualified to be parents than some irresponsible 35 year old whose career takes precedence over family.