You’re probably tired of hearing it, but the truth remains: abstinence is the only way to completely avoid the risk of pregnancy and/or STDs. Yes, there are ways to practice safer sex, and for those who choose to have sex, safer sex is the way to go! But a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that an increasing number of teens have never had sex before.

The report drew from surveys of 13,500 men and women ages 15 to 44. In 2002, it was estimated that 22 percent of males and females had never had sexual contact with another person. The CDC’s recent report based on data from a 2006 to 2008 survey found that 27 percent of male and 29 percent of female 15-to 24-year-olds had never had sexual contact with another person. This shows an increase of five percent for males and an increase of seven percent for females from 2002.

And sure, these results were obtained by survey, and people may not always be completely honest. But even so, these numbers indicate that sexuality education messages about waiting until you’re ready for sex are sticking, just a bit.

Of course, abstinence isn’t for everyone. But if you do feel that abstinence is the best choice, you’re clearly (and even more so now that you would have been a few years ago) not alone.

—Taylor McCabe, 18, Contributor

I spoke to Montel Williams on his Air America show Montel Across America, last Thursday. We talked about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2008, which was released last week. The CDC’s report found that STDs, such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea, are on the rise. And why is this relevant to us? Because the report found that there are over 19 million new STD infections each year and almost half of them occur in young people who are 15 to 24 years old. Montel, much like other adults who’ve been talking about the report, was alarmed by these numbers and referred to the high rates of STDs among young people as “frightening” news.

It is surprising to hear this news. But what’s really frightening is the fact that many teens are in abstinence-only programs or not getting sex ed at all. This means there are teens who aren’t getting the information they need about safer sex. It also means that many teens haven’t gotten the skills they need to talk about and make decisions about safer sex with their partners if they do decide to become sexual. Comprehensive sexuality education may be able to help reduce STD rates. It teaches teens the skills they need to take care of their sexual health, make healthy decisions, get clear about their own values and set boundaries when it comes to sexuality.

For more information, check out our stories, FAQs, Forum and quizzes on STDs and having important conversations about sexuality with your parents, partner and health care provider.

-Colleen Tierney, 16, Staff Writer

What comes to mind when you hear the words “politics,” “budgets” and “Congress?” Lots of teens might think, That’s boring. I don’t care. But what happens in Washington has a direct impact on you and your sex education. If you’ve avoided politics up to this point, now is a good time to pay attention: President Obama wants to cut funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Under President Bush, ab-only programs received million of dollars. Coincidentally, teen birth rates and STDs went up. It seems like “Just say no” just didn’t work. But President Obama plans to shift money from ab-only programs to sex education programs “that stress the importance of abstinence while providing medically-accurate and age-appropriate information to youth who have already become sexually active.” In plain English, President Obama knows that you can’t just teach abstinence—teens need info about birth control and condoms, too!

But wait, don’t think that Obama can magically change your sex ed with a snap of his fingers! The budget must pass through Congress, so it’s entirely possible that the people elected to represent YOUR interests—senators and state representatives—can stand in the way of improving YOUR sex education! So don’t just stand there, do something about it!

Tell your senators and state representatives that you want, need and deserve better sex ed! Advocates for Youth has made it easy for you to contact your senators and congress members with the click of a button. So take a stand with President Obama, and fight for your right to a better sex education!

Teen mom Bristol Palin is back in the spotlight, promoting abstinence as an ambassador for The Candie’s Foundation. She recently spoke to teens at a town hall meeting and talked about how becoming a teen mom has changed her life. See what she had to say:

We think it’s great that Bristol is speaking publicly about her experience as a teen mom. But is her message confusing? In an interview on Wednesday with Good Morning America, Bristol said “I just want to go out there and promote abstinence and say this is the safest choice.” Yet she told Fox News earlier this year that abstinence is “not realistic at all.”

It’s absolutely true that abstinence is the only 100-percent effective way to prevent both pregnancy and STDs. And Bristol’s suggestion that teens wait as long as they can to have sex is great advice. But with teen birth rates on the rise and young people at a higher risk for STDs, is it irresponsible to tell teens “just say no,” while leaving out important info on condoms and other forms of birth control?

Maybe teens can learn a lesson from Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol’s baby. Here’s what he said in response to Bristol’s abstinence-only campaign:

May isn’t just about warmer weather and gearing up for prom. It’s also Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about unplanned teen pregnancy and how to prevent it.

Did you know that the United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy and teen birth rates in the industrialized world? And one-third of girls get pregnant by age 20, according to the Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Too many teens think “it could never happen to me.” But the truth is that unplanned pregnancy can happen to anyone. That’s why it’s so important to wait if you haven’t had sex yet. And even if you have had sex, if you realize you’re just not ready for the responsibility of preventing a pregnancy and protecting yourself from STDs, then wait until you know that you can handle it. And if you’ve chosen to have sex, make sure you talk to your partner about using condoms and other forms of birth control—and then use them.

StayTeen.org and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy challenge you to take their National Day Quiz to see how you’d respond to sexual situations that put you at risk of pregnancy. And check out their Relationship Reality widget below for a chance to win an iPod touch or plane tickets!