Reply #69: Nature vs Nurture

[Tansy_Gold]

1.) Many children in developed countries, and particularly in the U.S., are bombarded with various growth hormones via the food they eat (beef, dairy products, chicken, etc.). This affects their own biological maturity. A few generations ago, girls did not routinely reach puberty until 16 or even later; a sexually active and/or pregnant 12-year-old would have been unheard of.

2.) If "Nature" didn't intend teen-agers to get pregnant, they wouldn't get pregnant. Ovulation, copulation, fertilization, and gestation are natural functions of the female human body. When, however, nature is subverted, as with the growth hormones fed to cattle and chickens that are then consumed by humans, pregnancy becomes unnatural. The physical maturity of a 12-year-old girl's body isn't sufficient -- size, bone structure, circulatory capacity -- to gestate a fetus safely or adequately. The dangers to the immature mother and a potentially poorly developed fetus are higher than if the mother is physically mature.

3.) "Teen-agers have no business getting pregnant" is an observation on the culture they are having babies in, not their biology. If our culture provided social and economic support for teen-aged parents, none of this would be a problem. The problem is in how we treat young mothers and their children.

4.) We've actually made some strides in this direction in terms of allowing young mothers to remain in school, keep their babies, and have some chance of remaining fully within the social structure. When I was in high school, a girl who got pregnant was immediately removed from the premises and denied any chance of completing her education. She was usually forced/pressured into a marriage that might have been unwanted by her and/or her baby's father. If neither of them had good job prospects, the family was doomed to failure.


Sexuality is indeed natural, and when the social fabric wraps nature in a loving embrace, people tend to be naturally content and happy. When the social wars with the natural, problems can arise.


Tansy Gold, early morning philosopher