Treat Teenage Moms Like Moms, Not Children by T. Wilkinson (Coursework Sample)

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Rhetorical Analysis of "Treat Teenage Moms like Moms, Not Children"
In their essay "Treat Teenage Moms like Moms, Not Children" the writers effectively appealed to the government policy makers on the need for the teenage mothers to be allowed to make decisions, which currently in most states in America are not allowed. The writers have adequately addressed the need for allowing the validity of their consent to take long-term birth controls. They have managed to persuade the reader by employing academic tone, diction, and superior artistic devices to persuade the audience into seeing the need for allowing teenagers unlimited legal consent to long-term birth control methods.
The "Treat Teenage Moms like Moms, Not Children" has clearly addressed the need for considering legalizing teenage consents such as birth control, which is currently not allowed in more than 20 states in America. According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, statistics have provided facts about the adolescent pregnancies around the world (United Nations Population Fund 7). Approximately16 million girls aged 15-19 years and girls under 16 years amounting to more than 2.5 million, have unwanted pregnancies each in developing regions (UNFPA 8). World Health Organization further establishes that most deaths of 15-19 years girls occur due complications during pregnancy and childbirth (World Health Organization 23). The adolescent mothers face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, preterm birth, and systemic infections compared to their counterpart aged 20-24 years. There is medical practitioners concern on the regality of these teenage girls’ consent to long-term birth control and other decisions which the law considers can only be made by an adult woman. This is regardless of these pregnant teenagers being able to give some consent like the circumcision of their boy child and taking vaccinations for the protection of the unborn child.
The writers used logical appeals to trigger logical reasoning of the authorities by comparing the facts about an adolescent pregnant mother and the irony in the law. They begin the essay by pointing out how in Indiana pregnant teenagers are deprived of their rights to consent on issues that greatly affect their lives. In another instance, the writers show how ironically “The 17-year-old can consent to her infant’s hearing testing, vaccines and anything else the baby might need.” But cannot give consent to “long-acting, reversible contraceptive” (Wilkinson et al 1). They are also applying the credibility of the scientific scholarly reports to demonstrate the geographical distribution of the limiting rights of teenage girls to receive long-term contraceptive without parent appending their consent through signature even after birth. The essay has applied academic tone to logically convince the authorities of the need to allow the teenage girls’ consent. This proves how the rights of the pregnant teenage girls have been limited virtually because of age unless “if married, legally emancipated or on active military duty, or after a sexual assault by a family member” (Wilkinson et al 2). Ironically this applies to the small population of teenage girls who get pregnant.
The writers have also expressed the logic in irony on how generally there has been a decline in pregnancy rates in America but there is an alarming trend in subsequent pregnancies. They use proof of statistics on Indianapolis subsequent pregnancies in less than 18 months. For example “1 in 3 adolescents who delivered between 2010 and 2012 were pregnant again in less than 18 months.” (Wilkinson et al 3). This shows how subsequent early pregnancy is risky to the young girl and appeal for contraceptives, the writers say “The 2005 study found that the risk of preterm delivery or stillbirth tripled in the women’s subsequent pregnancies” (Wilkinson et al 3) and try to give the pediatricians opinion on the risk of early pregnancies.
Further, the writers have invoked the logic of having young girls allowed consent to birth control. It is logical to see it as the burden to the country when these girls give more births. To prove this their allegations, they cite a 2010 study on how it cost the state more than $9.4 billion for healthcare and foster care (NCPTUP 10). This finding appeals to the authorities to see it as the burden to the society especially through loss of tax revenues. The writers have also used contrast to bring out the aspect of the irony of the facts regarding teenage pregnancy. Contrast is effective in bringing out the logic of their argument. For instance, being allowed to consent some cases like child vaccine and circumcision but cannot be allowed to consent for birth controls.
The writers have employed pathetic appeals to invoke the audience’s emotion to gain acceptance and approval to the birth control consent of the young girls. They express how “rapid repeat pregnancies is financial, emotionally, and physically draining to the pregnant young girls.” (Wilkinson et al 4) To prove the risk they used a 2005 study on the preterm births of the subsequent pregnancies. They appeal to the authorities that to avert the scenario they need long-lasting control measures by referring to the study on the effectiveness of the birth control after birth in controlling subsequent pregnancy to the young girls (Tocce et al. 4).
The essay has used ethical appeals to the audience for credibility of it arguments. The writers have cited the recommendation of the reputable research organizations to ethically appeal the government policy makers. The reference of organizations like American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the essay is sufficiently convincing on legalizing the teenage consents to have long-term contraceptives after birth. These sources have reported on their findings on the teenage pregnancies and the effects on their life and life of the child. These sources a...