i am doing an assignment for school and wanted to get a much wider view on things

The answer is yes, in my opinion.
But that is not saying we should be happy with it.
I remember being young in a different era, girls took holidays, to have the child mum and dad made them give the child up.
It was a shock when it happened in my family, we got over it and kept the child.
Remember the person I was then,[you too will be several people in one lifetime].
I mostly ignored good advice, and love was not invented by this generation or the next, being a parent too early can ruin both lives mum and the child's.
Sex need not lead to pregnancy

I think society is more accepting now because of adults shortcomings.
Commonly called shacking up, instead of marriage. The modern adult is unable to commit to a responsible life.
Teenage pregnancy today is unfortunate and does not have to be, not like old days.

Accepting, rather than wishing to punish the mother?

Accepting, rather than giving a toss what the neighbors might think?

Yep and yep.

niccalee:

The following website may be of some help to you:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/teenage_pregnancy

Yes we are now more accepting of teenage pregnancies, because if the pregnancy wasn't planned, we know anyone can make mistakes.

We know that if we didn't support these women and babies, then we would have even more social problems in our society than we already have.

Gone are the days of 'fallen women' and 'bastard children', thank goodness. Nowadays, the teenage fathers are expected to be every bit as accountable for their actions as the mothers.

Given the right support, teenage parents and their children can be an asset to the community