Barrier birth control devices like condoms can prevent sexually-transmitted diseases as well as pregnancies. Many schools, community and health centers distribute condoms for free to encourage teens to practice safe sex.

             The birth control approach to teen pregnancy is based on an assumption that teenagers are going to have sex no matter what, because sex is a natural biological instinct or because of peer pressure. By teaching safe sex, teachers and parents feel that at least they are minimizing the chances of causing a pregnancy or spreading a sexually transmitted disease. Sex education also eliminates the need to address the complex moral and psychological issues associated with teen pregnancy: issues that are controversial politically and difficult to discuss.

             In spite of the rationale behind the prophylactic approach to teen pregnancy, distributing birth control freely to teenagers will fail to solve the epidemic and in fact contributes to the problem of teen pregnancy. Telling teens that they should use birth control and then handing them birth control devices is frankly condoning and even encouraging premarital teen sex. The practice is irresponsible and irrational, because teen pregnancies are far more common now than they were in the 1960s, when birth control and sex education were not a part of the school curriculum.

             Moreover, sex education starts at a young age, in many cases before the young person is even interested in having sex, increasing the likelihood of misunderstanding, misinterpreting, or misapplying the information. In many cases students do not pay attention either. Contrary to what many people believe, teenagers in the modern industrialized world do not have the mental or emotional maturity to understand the ramifications of sexual intercourse. In the old days, teens married young and their pregnancies usually occurred within wedlock and in a socially-sanctioned setting.