“Don't have sex, because you'll get pregnant and die! Don't have sex in the missionary position, don't have sex standing up, just don't do it, okay, promise? OK, now everyone get some tires.” This quote was said by Coach Carr in the movie Mean Girls and is similar to what is said to teenagers in schools across the country, although there are some who leave out condoms altogether. Yet when a teenager becomes pregnant, no one asks her if she had access to contraception or if she truly understood the risks of sex. Instead she is looked down upon because she “couldn't control herself” or because her parents “didn't teach her well enough”; suddenly it's someone else's problem and no one wants the finger to be pointed at them. This is wrong on multiple levels. Throughout history, teenagers have run away for sex, and teaching abstinence only is not the way to stop them now. By not teaching teens to practice safe sex, we are setting them up for failure, and when failure means the possibility of ending up with a transmitted disease or having a baby, that is unacceptable. It goes without saying that abstinence only education has very valid points. For example, abstaining from sex is the only 100% sure way to prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (American Pregnancy Association). It has also been argued that by promoting abstinence, society also promotes higher moral standards because it makes adolescents appreciate the meaning behind the sexual act rather than simply the enjoyment of the sexual act. According to some studies, teenagers who have had sex have been left with immediate regrets. According to the Heritage Foundation, premarital sex can lead to depression, increased risk of infections, and… half of paper… t Pictures, 2004. DVD.Peterson-Beadle, Amanda. “Teen pregnancies are higher in states with abstinence-only policies.” ThinkProgress RSS. Np, 2012. Web. November 12, 2013. Rector, Robert. “Facts about Abstinence Education.” The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, March 30, 2010. Web. November 17, 2013. “State Policies on Sex Education in Schools.” State policies on sex education in schools. National State Legislature Conference, July 1, 2013. Web. November 12, 2013. Wilson, Kelly L., Matthew L. Smith, and Mindy Menn. “Abstinence-related word associations and definitions of abstinence and virginity among Missouri high school freshmen.” Journal of School Health 83.11 (2013): 787-94. Wiley Online Library. American School Health Association, October 21, 2013. Web. November 12, 2013. Wirthman, Lisa. “Abstinence versus sex education.” The Denver Post. Np, 06 July 2012. Web. 12 November. 2013.