Bristol Palin dropped this bombshell in an interview with Fox News about teenage pregnancy.  I agree with her. Sexual abstinence as a teenage is the best option, especially if the end goal is avoiding pregnancy.  But abstinence also provides time for a person to make sure they are mentally, physically and spiritually ready to be sexually active and not just doing it because of peer pressure.  

The point that Ms. Palin is making is that just telling kids to abstain is not a sure fire thing.  My feeling is that the more knowledge you give a young person, the more likely they are to make smart decisions.  Talking to teenagers about the importance of contraception and protection against sexually transmitted diseases is not the same thing as encouraging people to have sex – it is giving them knowledge and knowledge is power.   If they don’t decide to abstain from sex, at least they will avoid some of the most permanent potential consequences.  

Ultimately, the best solution to the problem of teenage pregnancy might be feminism.  Empower young women to respect themselves and know that their worth is unrelated to how much sex they can have, but rather how much integrity and self reliance they possess. Then you will have less girls being pregnant, and more powerful women who will be able to make all kinds of life choices for themselves.