Why does free condom distribution at school increase teenage pregnancy?

Giving out free condoms at school is not a surefire way to avoid teenage pregnancy — or it might not be enough. Access to condoms in schools increases teen fertility rates by about 10 per cent, according to a new study by the University of Notre Dame.
   However the increase happened in schools where no counseling was provided when condoms were given out — and giving out guidance as well as birth control could have the opposite effect. Access to other kinds of birth control, such as the contraceptive pill, IUDs and implants, has been shown to lower teen fertility rates — but condoms might have opposite consequences due to their failure rate as well as the time and frequency at which they’re used.
   Most of the free condoms programs began in 1992 or 1993 and about two thirds involved mandatory counseling. The 10 per cent increased occurred as a result of schools that gave out condoms without counseling.
   Teenage girls were also more likely to develop gonorrhea when condoms were given for free. Access to contraceptives in general has been shown to lower teen fertility, or in some cases had no effect at all.
   But condoms might have a different impact because of several factors, such as the fact that their failure rate is more important than that of other contraceptives.