HUMANS HAVE BEEN trying for centuries to rid themselves of STDs, but not one of these diseases is close to worldwide eradication and deadly new ones have appeared in recent years. Effective cures for many STDs, including gonorrhea and chlamydia, have been available for over sixty years, yet outbreaks of these and other STDs continue to take their toll on human health. If cures do not hold the answer for vanquishing STDs, then the solution may need to come from another source, namely prevention.

According to Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "There is no more important goal of medical research than to prevent diseases from occurring in the first place."Not only would prevention of STDs alleviate the human misery caused by these diseases, but it would reduce the enormous financial...