節欲教育可以保護許多人不感染性傳播疾病和防止非意願懷孕，但是，作為行為改變的一般策略，它在阻止AIDS的大範圍流行方面是遠遠不夠的。所以，現在需要我們做出的選擇應該是特別地關注：安全性行為。

本節討論安全性行為的概念是怎樣演化的，它是怎樣的方法和怎樣延伸以適合不同的環境，以及，當今怎樣讓它在多樣化的文化和亞文化裏運用。最後，簡要討論因促進安全性行為所產生的各種問題。

Abstinence education may protect many individuals from STDs and unwanted pregnancies, but as a general policy of behavior change it has proved insufficient to stop the AIDS pandemic. Therefore, the only remaining alternative now deserves special attention: Safer sex.

The following sections describe how the concept of safer sex evolved, how it
was and continues to be adapted to different circumstances, and how it can be implemented in various cultures and subcultures today. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the problems raised by the promotion of safer sex.