Do Teens Understand Their Actions?

Over the past couple years, from TV to internet message boards, I have noticed a large number of teens, meaning from 13-19 actively trying to get pregnant. Whether they are over 18 and married, or 13, unable to drive, work, or support the child they may bring into the world.
And it really peaked my interest in starting to investigate more about teen pregnancy. Some of the information I came across was eye opening, and floored me.
But the question that burns in my mind most of all is, what are these young girls missing in their lives that they are out actively trying to get pregnant by whatever boy they come across? Is their home life lacking something? Attention, love, connection with their parents, discipline? What?

Now, don't get me wrong. I consider myself to be a young mother, when I got pregnant with my first child I was 21 years old and gave birth to him when I was 22 years old. But there were big differences between the situation of these children, and mine. First being, I was independent and not living under the roof of my parents, another was I had my own medical insurance, owned my own car, had a drivers license, worked full time, and was in a committed relationship with someone who supported me 100% not only emotionally, but also monetarily because shortly into my first trimester I had to resign from my job because of pregnancy related complications. We were adults, and capable of dealing with all the situations being handed to us as the pregnancy, and parenthood went on.

Could I have handled that at 14 years old? Hell no! Would my mother have kicked my ass? HELL YA!

Children of teen mothers are more likely to be teen parents themselves, teen's also receive less than adequate pre natal care in most cases, which not only increases their risk category, but it also increases the risks to the baby they give birth to. Children of teen parents have a greater risk for developmental delays, as they grow, children of teen parents tend to be in poorer health than children of adult women. According to parents' reports of their children's health status, 60% of children born to non-teen mothers were rated in "excellent" health, compared to 38% for children born to the youngest adolescent mothers.
These are not small numbers, these are big numbers and they have a direct and lifelong impact on these children.
To move on, the children born to these teen mothers also are at a higher risk to be an "indicated case" of child abuse or neglect. While I cannot tell you why, I can speculate a few things. One being that these children do not know how to properly care for children themselves, and the other being, they do not want to give up their own lives which we all know when you have a child, your personal life goes straight out the window. Little Sally won't be able to go to the mall with her home girls anymore when she wants to because she has a baby she needs to take care of, it is not a doll that can just be left behind.
Children born to mothers age 15 and younger are two times more likely to become an indicated case of child abuse/neglect in the first five years of their lives than are the children born to mothers age 20-21.
The list goes on, children of teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, son's of teen mothers are more likely to be incarcerated, daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become a teen parent themselves, and are more likely to live in poverty and not have an even start to life.

These are not all things that I made up, these are facts and statistics taken from The Teen Parent Child Care Quality Improvement Project.

When I see these young girls bragging about going out to try and have a baby with just anyone, not only does it piss me off as a parent, but it makes me want to be an actual parent to them because it is clear that there is something lacking at home.
These girls do not know what it really takes to be a parent, and the only people it will come back on is their parents, society, and that poor helpless child.