Virginity pledges are a part of some abstinence-only programs and have even gotten big endorsements from celebrities like Jordin Sparks and the Jonas Brothers. The idea makes sense on paper: Take a virginity pledge and promise to not have sex. This pledge is supposed to help you remain abstinent, and we know abstinence is the only birth control that is 100-percent effective at preventing pregnancy and STDs. But what if taking a pledge doesn’t work, or even worse, puts you at risk for pregnancy and STDs?

According to a new study, teens that take virginity pledges are just as likely to have sex as teens that don’t take a pledge. Teens that pledged had just as many sexual partners and started having sex at the same age as those that didn’t pledge. And the teens that took the pledge were less likely to use protection when they eventually had sex!

You just can’t take a virginity pledge, cross your fingers and hope to not have sex! What happens if you don’t stick to your pledge and never learned about how to protect yourself from pregnancy and STDs? Whether or not you take a virginity pledge, make sure you know where to get tested, how to get birth control and how to properly use a condom. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. You probably weren’t even born when World AIDS Day first started. But since 1988, the 1st of December is a day to come together and raise awareness about the global AIDS epidemic.

AIDS is a major health concern for everyone on the planet. And the solution to this global problem has to start from the bottom up—it starts with you! Do your part to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS: Get educated about the virus and how it’s transmitted.

If you’ve never had sex, great! Abstaining from oral, anal and vaginal sex is the only way to be 100- percent safe from HIV/AIDS. And if you’ve already had sex, that’s OK. Make sure you and your partner get tested for HIV. You may choose to stop having sex, as that’s the safest choice. But if you choose to continue having sex, properly using a latex barrier, like a condom or Sheer Glyde dam, each and every time you have oral, anal or vaginal sex, will protect you and your partner from HIV/AIDS, too.

Want to test your knowledge of HIV/AIDS? Play AVERT.org’s game, AIDS Challenge. Or try their World AIDS Day Quiz.

Purity rings took center stage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Host Russell Brand mocked the Jonas Brothers—self-proclaimed virgins that have pledged not to have sex until marriage—for wearing purity rings. Jordin Sparks, who wears a purity ring, had this to say in response: “It’s not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody—guy or girl—wants to be a slut.”

You aren’t a slut if you don’t wear a purity ring. And wearing a purity ring doesn’t make you better than people that don’t wear them.

Whether you wear a purity ring or not, deciding to refrain from sex is great. It’s the only way to completely avoid pregnancy and STDs. But if you really want to stick to your decision not to have sex AND still be fully prepared when you do have sex, a comprehensive sex education is the way to go.

There’s been a lot of talk about Bristol Palin, the pregnant, 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Parents play an important role in teaching their children about sex. What did Bristol Palin learn about sex from her mother?

First, you have to know a little bit about where Sarah Palin stands on the issues. She is anti-choice, even in cases of rape or incest. She’s also anti-comprehensive sex ed and wants abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in schools, which means information about condoms and birth control wouldn’t be taught.

Did Sarah talk to Bristol about using condoms to protect herself from pregnancy and STDs? Or did she only push for abstinence and leave her daughter without important info about condoms that could have prevented a pregnancy?

There’s no way of knowing what Sarah and Bristol talked about, or if they talked about sex at all! Teens need and deserve honest and accurate information about sex—not only from comprehensive sex ed classes and resources like Sexetc.org, but from parents as well. Parents really do matter when it comes to learning about sex, so make sure you talk to them!

What do the Olympics and safer sex have in common? Lots and lots of condoms.

Since 1992, condoms have been available at the Olympics to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 100,000 condoms were provided for all 10,500 athletes. That might seem like a lot. But a supply of 70,000 condoms during the 2000 Sydney Olympics ran out, and an extra 20,000 had to be ordered.

Making condoms available at the Olympics, means athletes can reduce the risk of an unplanned pregnancy or an STD. Abstinence is the only way to completely avoid pregnancy and STDs. But if you’re going to have sex—whether you’re an Olympian or not—you need to have safer sex.

Check out the Olympic spirit in these condom ads from China: