(March 30, 2001) — “The best form of safe sex is no sex” and “abstinence” are some of the messages that are sent to high school students and teenagers everywhere in the U.S. But let’s face reality: in a society which revolves around getting pleasure with no regard for consequences and where sex has become an animalistic ritual that should occur as often as you meet a member of the opposite gender, there is going to be a percentage of teenagers that will be having sex. And since it is the school’s responsibility to make sure you attend school and receive an education, the school needs to take steps to make sure that its students are not dropping out to take care and support a new life. Condoms are one of the cheap methods that can relieve the intensifying problem of teen pregnancy. While students in high school are certainly old enough to be held responsible for their actions, they are still only young adults – hence the reason they are still legally under their parent’s guardianship. Contrary to popular belief, a baby might not create a sense of responsibility; the baby might in fact be aborted, therefore sending the message that responsibilities do not always have to be faced. Rather than losing a precious life, schools should strive to prevent pregnancy. There are many different contraceptives that can be utilized, and schools should provide some of these methods of birth control. In France, the government has gone so far as to allow school nurses to prescribe morning after pills to any girls over eleven years old. A little closer to home, some New York schools decided to take action and began passing out condoms to their students. Not surprisingly, in a study of these schools by the American Journal of Public Health, it was found that handing out contraceptives did not increase the sexual activity of students. If seriously considered, those who are adamantly saving themselves and have successfully ignored the pressure from their peers will not suddenly change their mind because of a piece of latex. However, those who have been swept up in the sexual culture of today will have somewhere to turn to for help and will be more inclined to use condoms. Passing out condoms at school is often not a method by itself; rather, it usually is part of a whole process of educating teenagers about pregnancy and the risks of early sex. Having condoms available at school is at least a step in the right direction.