I haven&#x27;t seen this one mentioned yet, but the trend may also be due in part to choices the women are making about whether or not they want children. Most of the comments assumed that all of these pregnancies were &quot;accidents&quot; to begin with, but if you&#x27;re a teenage girl, living in poverty, what kind of role models do you see, and how might you envision your own future and goals? Just like teenagers in some places can&#x2F;could only have a life of their own by getting married, it is and was very common for other teenagers in some cultures to see having a baby as the only way out of their current situation, as a way to have a better life, as a necessary step for building a life with and getting support from a romantic partner, as a way to have more importance or influence in their community, and add meaning to their own lives.<p>Anecdotally, I knew a few women in high school who got pregnant, and it seemed to add a great deal of excitement and hope for their future, rather than the other way around. If you have nothing going for you, having a kid can seem like a good plan.<p>If you start giving people other options, other things to work for, and exposing them to other cultures, they might find better alternatives. Heck, this whole thing might still be caused by the Internet! But not for the reasons some other people said...