Jane Mauldon and Kristin Luker

About the author: Jane Mauldon is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Kristin Luker is a professor of sociology and law at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Dubious Conceptions: The Politics of Teenage Pregnancy.

Although more teenagers are sexually active than in the past, more are practicing some form of birth control, which has led to a decline in the teen pregnancy rate. No evidence exists that teaching teenagers about sex education and contraceptives leads to an increase in teen sexual activity. If teenagers receive sex education while they are still virgins, they are more likely to delay their first sexual experience and to use contraception when they do become sexually active.

The drumbeat of criticism that...