Sample Causal Analysis

[My annotations are in blue]

Your Name

English 100 (Online) – the course name

Ticket #8142

Date

Causal Analysis

Punishing the Girls

Notice again that the Definition of the Problem is the same as it is in the Prospectus and as it is in the Position Paper.  Yes, you’re welcome to cut and paste, provided, of course, it’s good enough the first time.

    A few years ago, I watched a terrifying story on ABC's 20/20.  It was a story about a teenage girl who had gotten pregnant.  She successfully managed to keep her pregnancy from everyone, even her immediate family.  She secretly gave birth to a baby girl--by herself-- at the basement of her house.  Out of fear, she covered the baby with a blanket and the baby died.  There was an investigation and trial on the teenage girl, whether she should be convicted of murder or not.

    Every year, more than one million teenagers become pregnant.  84% of them are unintended pregnancies. About half of those seek abortion.  Many teenagers who seek abortion come from dysfunctional, abusive, or single parent family.  In 38 states of America, a minor must have a parental consent or judicial bypass in order to go through abortion.  This is a problem because the law pushes these young women to choose more dangerous options: running away, attempting suicide, or having an unsafe abortion.  In some cases, such as the case seen in 20/20, some teens even end up killing their newborn or "trashing" their babies in garbage cans.  The law "only punishes those
girls who come form dysfunctional families," whose parents are not so supportive. 

After Defining the Problem, the writer gets right to the causes.

    The obvious and immediate cause of this problem is the high rates of teenage pregnancies.  A teenager's sexual misconduct not only ruins her life, but it also effects her baby, her family, and the whole society by creating a "cycle of poverty" (Weismen 303).  The [Also note that, like your Position Paper, this paper, too needs to abide by the MLA format, complete with a Works Cited page.] irresponsibility and the misconduct can be traced back to the individual, her partner, her family, the media, and the whole society.  In this sense, the individual and her partner should have used some sort of contraceptive, such as a condom, birth control pills, or combination of both.  The unawareness of possibility, or perhaps the ignorance of being unaware, can be blamed on the teenager and her partner.  Critics also argue that the parents of these teens are not doing their job as parents.  The parents are relieved at the fact that the schools provide sex education, and often avoid conversation about sex with their teenagers.  By not doing this, they underestimate their power to set a direction for their children and this creates lack of guidance for many children.  The media contributes a great deal in a teenager's sexual misconduct.  Almost all of TV shows, ads, and movies glorify sex as a cool, hip "activity," without mentioning the possible outcomes, such as
sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and abortion.

    These factors can be contributed to the high rates of teenage pregnancy.  However, the cycle of teenage pregnancy is unstoppable.  Therefore, we must examine other remote, hidden causes that contribute to the problem.

    One of the main causes of this problem is the abusive families of these teens.  Not only does such a family fail to teach its teenager standards and values, but also such a family abuses a teen for telling the truth, and confessing that she is pregnant.  This family will surely push the teenager away by not being supportive, and often "disciplining" them with harsh, physical abuse.  The young woman is forced to choose a more dangerous option, such as running away, attempt to suicide or unsafe abortion, which can claim the minor's life (Gordon 41).

    Another hidden cause that made this law be in effect in many of the states is the parental-right movement.  Most of the parental consent law activists are anti-abortionists.  The general public does not realize that this law is partially trying to outlaw abortion.  The parental involvement law is focused on the parental rights, not how it can protect and benefit the teens (Clark 444-445). 

    Therefore, I am proposing several solutions to this problem, but they must be practiced in combination.  First, we must do everything to bring down the teen pregnancy rates.  We must teach our teens the effects of sexual behavior.  The parents must talk to their teens about sex and try to set a value to about the sexual misconduct.  We must spend more money to educate our teens and make contraceptive more available.

    However, because doing the above will only reduce the rates, not completely stop teenage abortion, we must protect the teens from an abusive background by allowing them to choose abortion without informing their parents.  The pregnant teen who has a loving, supportive family is already protected by their family.  The law must protect the unfortunate ones who don not have such a supportive, loving family.

Works Cited

Kelly, XXXXX.  Personal interview.  May 10, 2001.

Clark, Charles S.  "Teenagers and Abortion."  CQ Researcher  5 July 1991: 443-457.

Gordon, Sol.  "Sol's Page."  Humanist  Sep./Oct. 1990: 41-42.

Hager, Phillip.  "Judge Voids Parental Consent Abortion Law."  Los Angeles Times May 28, 1992 :A1+.

Weismen, Adam Paul.  "Birth Control In the Schools." The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 

Updated:  23 September 2005