Richard T. Cooper

Efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy have led some people to consider the social and familial circumstances of adolescent mothers. Findings reflect an abundance of child abuse, poor parenting, and poverty in the lives of girls who have children as teenagers. In the following viewpoint, Richard T. Cooper describes the research of professor Joseph Hotz, who argues that deplorable life circumstances often result in pregnant teenagers. He claims that teen pregnancy is a symptom, rather than a cause, of the problems in girls’ lives. Cooper is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why, according to Hotz, is there little difference between girls who have babies in their teens and similar girls who wait until their twenties, as quoted by the author"

2. What are three...