"About ten out of the hundred people I graduated with
were either pregnant or already had children when we graduated.
In my high school, a lot of people had sex for the wrong reasons or prematurely
- and most definitely unprotected.
- Elizabeth Keiser

Some viewers may remember a time when unintended pregnancy was the most frightening potential outcome of sexual involvement. The cultural response to unintended pregnancy may have changed, but early pregnancy is still a tremendous burden to teen parents. Most teens who become parents have financial difficulties and trouble furthering their education - in addition to carrying the profound responsibility of caring for a child. However, despite the challenges of raising a child, some teens persevere and are not only good parents, but they also lead productive and satisfying lives. A wide variety of contraceptives are available to both adults and young people. Some require a physical examination and a prescription, which may be obtained at a community health clinic or a doctor's office. Many clinics and doctors do not require parental consent for young women to obtain contraceptives.

Fast Facts

Every year, almost one million teenage women become pregnant.2 Four out of every ten girls will become pregnant while they are teenagers.3 Families started by teen mothers make up half of all welfare recipients.4

Discussion Questions

1. Why might a teen find parenthood attractive? 2. What might motivate a young person to keep from getting pregnant or getting a partner pregnant? 3. If you are a teenager and want to use a contraceptive, would you discuss this decision with a parent? How would you feel if your child asked you for help to obtain contraceptives?

Condom Use

" We feel it's urgent that young people know what a condom looks like,
and how to put it on, not because we want them to be sexually active and have intercourse,
but because we want them to have the information
so necessary to prevent the risky behavior."
- Dr. Cydelle Berlin

Sexually involved individuals owe it to themselves to get accurate, unbiased information about condoms and the part they play in preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Condoms are extremely reliable. As reported in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 1992, a person who uses a condom is more than 10,000 times safer than a person not using a condom during intercourse. Many people - both young people and adults - feel uncomfortable buying condoms. Actually, overcoming shyness about buying condoms is often the most difficult aspect of using them. Condoms are also available at clinics or at other community-based organizations, as well as pharmacies and convenience stores. Purchasing condoms, as well as other contraceptives, demonstrates sexual responsibility.

Fast Facts

Condoms are 98% effective when used consistently and correctly.5 The average failure rate for condoms is 12%. This figure generally reflects improper use or people who do not use them every time they have intercourse.6 Laboratory tests show that neither sperm, which has a diameter of 3 microns (.003 mm), nor the viruses and bacteria that cause STDs, including HIV, which are a quarter to a ninth the size of sperm, can penetrate an intact latex condom.7

Discussion Questions

1. Why do some people resist using condoms and practicing safer sex? 2. What can a person do if his or her partner is unwilling to use a condom? 3. Should condom demonstrations be part of school-based HIV prevention programs? Why or why not?