Finkel M L
Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Bull N Y Acad Med. 1995 Winter;72(2):500-11.
Early childbearing in the United States has roots in the past; is the focus of intense partisan debate at the present time; and will have demographic, social, and economic ramifications in the future. It is an extremely complex issue, for which its associated problems have no easy or simple answers. Early parenthood is viewed as a social problem that has defied public policy attempts to stem its growth. It has become the focus of concern primarily for three reasons: (1) sexual activity has increased sharply, most recently among the youngest teens; (2) out-of-wedlock childbearing has risen among all teenagers, regardless of age; and (3) the issue of welfare. A review of statistics highlights the problem and discussion focuses on means of mitigating the negative effects of early childbearing.
美国的早育现象有着历史根源；是当前党派激烈辩论的焦点；并将在未来产生人口、社会和经济方面的影响。这是一个极其复杂的问题，与之相关的问题没有简单易行的答案。早育被视为一个社会问题，公共政策试图遏制其增长的努力并未成功。它主要因其三个原因而成为人们关注的焦点：（1）性行为急剧增加，最近在最年轻的青少年中尤为明显；（2）所有青少年非婚生育现象都有所上升，无论年龄大小；（3）福利问题。对统计数据的回顾凸显了这一问题，讨论集中在减轻早育负面影响的方法上。
