Some unplanned adolescent pregnancies may be averted through education and preventive services provided by the teen-ager's physician. This paper discusses the need for such services, and reviews the current literature concerning issues surrounding adolescent contraception-professional acceptability, legality, public attitudes, morality, and appropriateness to the pediatrician's role. The authors conclude that recent developments make the pediatrician's involvement in adolescent sexuality counseling entirely feasible.
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