In recording the biopsychosocial issues that are part of our current society, and which account for the varied life we live as modern-day humans, we study the case of a female subject named Eboni Logan. The presenting issue here is the young girl is pregnant and is confused on whether to keep the baby or terminate the pregnancy with all the options she has and all the voices around her. Eboni is a sixteen-year-old multiracial girl as she is African-American/Caucasian. Currently, she lives in an apartment where her mother was raised by her (Eboni) grandmother. She was born to Anthony and Darleen when her mother was seventeen and father 18. The parents were dating and when they broke up, Darleen, now 33, realized she was pregnant. Anthony has some four other children from his previous marriages and has divorced once and married twice. Eboni was brought up by her grandmother and mother while the father sent child support. She occasionally visits Anthony.
Eboni, who is in 11th grade, is an honors student and has been taking Advanced Placement courses. She plans to go to college and major in nursing. She is active in choir and a member of the National Honor Society and the student council. Her immediate family consists of her mother Darleen, grandmother May, and father, Anthony. She has a boyfriend called Darian and has been dating for four months. Her health is excellent and as there is no record of serious illness. She does not smoke or abuse drugs but admits on occasionally drinking alcohol when with her friends at parties. Eboni believes in God but does not belong to any organized denomination. In school, she runs the track and looks forward to a track scholarship, and this makes her athletic and goal oriented. Eboni works ten hours a week at a fast food restaurant. She recently passed her driver’s test and had received her license. She has a good health and support from friends and family. Eboni is also working which means she is not financially dependent.
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The primary challenge that Eboni faces is the teen pregnancy. This has brought the conflict of interests and expression within herself and her family. She is confused on how to approach the case and what to do to prevent harm. The people around her have different voices which leave her more confused and nervous. The pregnancy has come with morning effects which makes her not to concentrate on any activity except eating and being lazy. She sees that having a baby will keep her out of the track and hence making her lose the scholarship. She also sees a possibility of falling in her grades consequently missing the entry points to college.
Eboni’s case is affected by the social environment in that it touches on one of the most debated issues in the sociological framework- abortion. It is difficult for her to keep the baby and makes clear her stance on the effects of maintaining the pregnancy. It is seen that Eboni thinks about terminating the pregnancy as a means of making her reach her goals in life. This takes us back to the sociological perspectives of abortion and its relation to the teen pregnancies. On one side of the debate stands the advocates of abortion who says that refusing to legalize it makes the cases of teen mothers to increase which will eventually lead to poverty and more crime from the out-of-wedlock children. It is imperative also to note that the ones who are against the legalization argue that abortion will lead to immorality and decay in the moral framework of the society as young people will indulge in unsafe premarital sex more often. So the arguments both hold grounds on Logan’s case as well as other factors such as spirituality.
According to the issue at hand and the relationships that exist between all the players, it is possible to draw some behavioral theories that can help provide a solution. First, we have systems theory which views the human behavior as a complex system. The argument is premised on the notion that an efficient system is based on the needs, expectations, rewards, and attributes of an individual ( Valentinov, 2014) . The theory explains that it is the work of everybody in the life of a person, for instance, couples, families, and members of an organization to be directly involved in the resolution of a problem even if the issue was personal. The fact that it is Eboni who is pregnant makes the situation affect her directly at a subjective level. However, it is the duty of her parents, grandmother, and the boyfriend to be responsible for solving the pregnancy issue and decide on whether it should be kept or terminated. The needs and expectations of Eboni are that she clears grade school with high points that will make her pursue nursing in college.
Also, conflict theory makes it possible to conclude the situation in which the parties involved are in constant different ideologies on what to do with the case at hand. This approach stands on the basis that in society, there are interests that are foreign to one another ( Madsen, 2015) . These concerns are seen as personal beliefs, family beliefs, the reality, peer pressure and the lack of education. The idea that the mother was not speaking to her makes the whole point of being upset by the fact that her young daughter is pregnant. It seems like Darleen is upset as the Eboni has defied the expectations of a society that values education and self-determination. The mother has some family beliefs that being a single mother is strenuous as she has experienced with bringing up her daughter. The conflict in her father’s mind makes him not be able to utter a word on learning that Eboni is pregnant. Everyone else around the girl has their interests that they wish Eboni should consider and adopt. The whole set of conflict leads to two options, which is, termination or carrying the baby. And, as stated earlier, the complexity of the society makes the voices of all the interested party crucial. Thus, the conflict continues to wane the decisions while broadening the options the girl has to take.
Also, we have the theory of moral reasoning. Much of this is based on the idea that people make decisions after considering the morality and can either be negative or positive according to the way an individual accomplishes the tasks before them in the moral development lifespan ( Kurtines, 2014) . The thought about morality stemmed in when the father advised Eboni to keep the pregnancy because abortion is a sin. This creates the sense of spirituality that the father has and thus a positive moral development. On the other hand, the mother suggests abortion with the claim that she wants her daughter to have a life which is different from hers.
Taking into consideration the all the other theories that are in the case, I developed some mutual goals to be met to solve the issue. First and foremost, Eboni and I came to an agreement that she would inform her family about the pregnancy and discussed all the possible outcomes regarding responses. This was to make her absorb all the shocks she would get from the parents and grandmother and at the same time be conscious that she owns the situation. The other goal was that Eboni should own up the decision she makes and not let anyone make it up for her. This should come after processing all her options that we discussed during our meeting. She should be responsible for the alternative she takes as they all have pros and cons.
Eboni has strengths that can help in the treatment of the issue at hand. The first is that she has a family support as seen in both her father and grandmother. The mother is initially upset about the whole issue, but after a lengthy talk with her daughter, she calms down and agrees to what she (Eboni) chooses. This support can be used in many ways depending on the option taken. If she decides to keep it, the child can be raised with the help of the community or the parents and grandmother. Early and adequate prenatal care is crucial in making sure the young mother and her baby are healthy. It is commendable that the doctor prescribed prenatal vitamins after the positive diagnosis. The fact that Eboni is working in a food restaurant and her boyfriend in a grocery store should be helpful in meeting the financial demands of the baby as they would be able to cater for the small expenses with the help of their parents. The pregnant girl should be encouraged to remain in school and after the option decided on, allowed to reenter the educational programs that provide skills to be better parents, and be there for their child both emotionally and financially.
Teenage pregnancy continues to be a pressing issue in the United States regardless of it dropping by over sixty percent in the last two decades. The problem is still evident in the African American and Hispanic communities. It is apparent also that most births that teenagers experience are unintended. It seems that the old method of teaching the youth on the matter that concentrates on the abstinence is failing to make progress. In such, there exist scientifically practical approaches that help in addressing the high rate of teen pregnancy (Silk & Romero, 2014). First, is the development of evidence-based teenage pregnancy prevention programs that can be employed in the school system to take the place of traditional teaching, a specific example of such application is providing the youths with knowledge on contraception, their benefits and effects. The knowledge and skills of using these methods of birth control can be incorporated into the lives of teens in general as it is evident that they are sexually active. The program should not just focus on the prevention of pregnancy but also of STIs.
The ethical issue present in Eboni’s case is the termination of pregnancy which Darleen advocated for when she first learned the condition of her daughter. The moral dilemma present is how abortion will affect the future of the girl and the choices she will make. To address this, it is crucial that the parents be talked to on taking part in the solution ( Silk & Romero, 2014) . Suggestions to give the child up for adoption makes the mother be able to have hope that her daughter can continue with her life after giving birth. Another ethical issue is the relationship between abortion and teenage pregnancy mortality rates. Research shows that more minors die annually due to childbirth-related causes than the ones dying from legal abortions. It thus creates a dilemma of whether to keep the baby or not as the girl is still a minor at 16. Also, there is the point of rights of minors to give consent on the medical options that exist and which also extends to contraceptive usage and abortion. In all these ethical issues, it is advisable to persuade the minor to involve her parents in the solution of this problem and make them help in the decision making.
In the case above, the issue that should be addressed as far as the cultural competence is concerned is the age of the client ( Betancourt et al., 2016) . Eboni Logan is a minor who has some needs which makes it difficult for the people around her to understand. It is possible for her to feel marginalized in her condition as it is evident at the beginning of our meeting when she says she fears what Darleen will say. As a social worker, it is therefore imperative to have knowledge and skills on the diversity of the culture in which the case exists. By recognizing Eboni’s strengths, it is possible to help design a treatment plan by developing mutual goals.
References
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016). Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public health reports .
Kurtines, W. M. (2014). Handbook of moral behavior and development: Volume 1: Theory. Psychology Press.
Madsen, R. (2015). Applying work–family conflict theory. Routledge Handbook of Theory in Sport Management , 17 (28), 40.
Silk, J., & Romero, D. (2014). The role of parents and families in teen pregnancy prevention: An analysis of programs and policies. Journal of Family Issues , 35 (10), 1339-1362.
Valentinov, V. (2014). The complexity–sustainability trade ‐ off in Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory. Systems Research and Behavioral Science , 31 (1), 14-22.
