Teen pregnancy is at an all-time low, but the U.S. still has higher rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion than any other developed country.

However, according to recent studies, including a comprehensive report from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and a rumored upcoming report by Surgeon General David Satcher, frank sex-ed programs can result in teens' pushing back their first sexual experience up to three years and making increased use of contraceptives.

Conservatives like Sen. Helms "wrongly believe that impeding access to contraception will reduce teen sexual activity," says NARAL's Cavendish. "We think that the premise that making contraceptives available sparks a promiscuous society is just wrong." She adds, "Like many anti-choice advocates, he's confusing emergency contraception with abortion."

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"There are a lot of very misguided people out there with a lot of misguided ideas; there are people who fervently believe that emergency contraception will cause the moral decline of the universe," says researcher Trussell. "In no other country are we getting the kind of really strange reaction to people using contraception. The goal is to prevent unwanted pregnancy."

"We should be making emergency contraception available to both teenage boys and girls," says Claire Brindis, a professor of adolescent medicine at UCSF. "The mythology is that by having this kind of method available it will encourage teens to go out and have sex.

"I believe kids will go out and have sex anyway. In fact, there's evidence that proves that access to contraception doesn't increase sexual debut. But many politicians seem to think knowledge is dangerous."

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