Where in the first world would you expect the rate of teenage pregnancy to be the highest? Surprisingly, the United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy among all first-world countries, more than double the rate of twenty other first-world countries and nearly ten times higher than that of Switzerland. While some of the disparity can be attributed to factors such as income inequality, the presence of abstinence-only education has a greater impact on birth rates and STD rates in the United States than in other countries with more comprehensive programs . It is clear that this difference in approaches has a significant effect, and the United States must take action to ensure the health of its citizens. Urgent action is needed because abstinence-only education is becoming increasingly popular in the United States and more and more school districts are adopting it. Despite its popularity, it has not been proven in any way to be effective in achieving its goals of reducing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Indeed, there is clear evidence and reasons for its ineffectiveness which, when compared to the paucity of evidence demonstrating any benefit, should make it clear that this is not an effective approach. Not only is it ineffective, but it also causes harm to American teenagers and society by trying to discourage sex by saying condoms are unsafe, and this results in decreased use of contraception and therefore more STDs and pregnancies. And finally, when America and other first world countries that have abstinence-only programs are compared to countries that have a more comprehensive methodology for teaching health, it is clear which approach is more effective. Abstinence-only programs aimed at adolescents are both ineffective in meeting the...... middle of paper ......ent Education: Ine." bepress Legal Series . Np, 2004. Web. 25 Apr 2012. Santelli , John , Mary Ott, et al. “Abstinence and Abstinence-Only Education: A Review of U.S. Policies and Programs.” Journal of Adolescent Health 38 (2008): Web 27 April 2012. “Britain: Sex Education Under attack." UNESCO Courier. July 2000: 18. Web 25 May 2012. "The Abstinence-Only Delusion". .Valk, Guus. "The Dutch Model." UNESCO Courier, July 2000: 19. Web. 2012.