Abstinence is completely farcical, they use scare tactics and propaganda, sensationalizing the risk of STDs. Safe sex needs to be taught, like it is in Holland, where the subject isn't taboo because of the general tolerance. I believe society needs to progress to this liberal stage if the teen pregnancy rate will ever drop, though that's no guarentee. I remember an abstinence assembly i went to in high school in America, talk about a waste of tax dollars.. As for the job of the school, this is to provide an education, allowing students to receive knowledge, facts, the truth. To prepare them for life, the big bad world, the consequences which arise, such as how you'll get pregnant if you don't use a condom or even the pill. I agree that abstinence is synonymous with the religious right and their attitude that sex before marraige is immoral, if they believe that, they're entitled to, but it doesn't make them correct because morailty is subjective. It is common knowledge that sex education is taught in schools. Some parents don't teach their kids enough, however, the blame has to be put on the person participating in sex, they're independent enough to do it and thus accept the consequences for THEIR ignorance, or blatent disregard of warnings and basically common sense at that age. Have they been hiding their heads in the sand reading the bible? Most teens know what's up, it's their fault if they get pregnant/get someone pregnant. Like i say, advocate SAFE sex, it happens millions if not billions of times a day safely.