Promotion of sexual abstinence: reducing adolescent sexual activity and pregnancies

The prevention of unplanned pregnancies has become a national public health priority. To assure that every newborn child in America is planned and wanted, three strategies are to be implemented: expansion of school-based sex education, expansion of free condom distribution, and expansion of the role of school-based health clinics. Studies show that these strategies may not prevent unplanned pregnancies; furthermore, their implementation may be associated with public health risks. Sexual abstinence is not associated with public health risks and needs to be presented and promoted as the most effective primary prevention for unplanned pregnancies.