Nova, I think we're very much on the same page. I am *all* about minimizing risk, while being realistic about human nature. When I did my research project on sex ed, I read *so many* curricula, from Planned Parenthood-approved comprehensive sex ed, to many abstinence-focused curricula. I met with a local school board member to talk about what my local schools were teaching, I went on-line an ordered a number of books, and I went to all the local Christian bookstores to see what they had.
Here's my take on sex ed, especially when aimed towards kids: we need to teach kids that the best protection is no sex. However, if you're doing to do it... be safe, and here are the best protections [fill in the blank].
I have a major problem with abstinence-only sex ed. It is both unrealistic (oooh, we can tell kids to "just say no" to sex! Never mind their rampaging hormones...) and often fear-based, e.g., we can scare kids/people from having sex (the worst that I read claimed that, if a man and a women had sex using a condom, the woman had to douche with Lysol afterwards--therefore, you should just never have sex--ugh.)
To sum up: if you're in a non-committed relationship, don't be afraid to say "no" or to insist on certain things (like condoms, dental dams, etc.) to protect yourself if you have sex. If you're in a committed relationship, get tested for STIs and share the results (and insist the same from your partner) before you have non-barrier-protected sex. Protect yourself from unintended pregnancy and also from STIs, and talk to your partner about it.
And...I have no real idea on the use of female condoms, but I'm guessing it's pretty low, at least in the US. I have a fairly wide network of friends that I talk to pretty openly to about sex and safe sex, and I've never had anyone talk about using one... but that's a pretty small sample.