Study: 'Virginity Pledges' Are Ineffective

According to a study released earlier today, teenagers who have taken a "virginity pledge" are still just as likely to engage in premarital sex than those who have not pledged their abstinence. But worse than that, the study found that those same abstinence-swearing teenagers are far less likely to use a form of birth control - condoms, etc - when they do become sexually active.

The new analysis of data from a large federal survey found that more than half of youths became sexually active before marriage regardless of whether they had taken a "virginity pledge," but that the percentage who took precautions against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases was 10 points lower for pledgers than for non-pledgers.

"Taking a pledge doesn't seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behavior," said Janet E. Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose report appears in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. "But it does seem to make a difference in condom use and other forms of birth control that is quite striking."

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Comments

[greatbear451]

Gee. What a shocker.

Of course, this study will promptly be ignored by those who continue to push for "abstinence only" education.

[any67ways]

hey, if these people were interested in real emperical data, how would their creationist/intelligent design theories survive? - theories which neither require nor have a shred

[TimNorman]

I promise i wont hit up on you when drinkinnn.

[spiderbucket]

Another failed Right Wing concept.

[BarryS]

I wonder if Sarah Palin's daughter took one of these oaths. Maybe we should ask Palin why they don't work from her own personal experience. Had Levi learned about and used a condom. or the daughter learned about and use birth control, there would not have been a need for the "emotional" abortion discussion. Of course sending Levi to the far north of the tundra works too. Sadly it was nine months too late.

[RadicalConservative]

Still worried about Sarah Palin, huh? Sad, very sad.

[Grunty1]

Everyone should be worried about Palin

That she might ever find power in this country.

[luvobama]

It's not sad. She totally brought all of this on herself and her family. I can only imagine what fun you would be having if it were one of the dems' kids.

[minty68]

BarryS doesn't seem worried; he's just wondering.

[RobChattaTN]

but will this scientific study have any impact on those who relentlessly promote 'wait till marriage?'

mmmmmmmmmm

foolishness abounds

[WmC]

Good question, Rob. Sadly, I believe the answer is No. The abstinence-only crowd has demonstrated time and again that they don't want the issue clouded by facts. "it's well known," as Colbert pointed out, "that reality has a liberal bias."

[Mischka23]

and this is all so surprising...why?

[apoyo]

Obviously, those who pledge are not prepared. You really need to get both sides of the story. The pros and the cons. It's nice to wait but it is better to be protected.

[jnah]

is this supposed to be surprising?

[seashepherdess]

If people want to preserve young girls' and womens' self-respect, don't tell them to stay virgins until they are married. Tell them what my grandmother told me: if you lay down with a dog, you'll wake up with fleas. Meaning? You are who you choose to sleep with.

[speakyourmind]

Yes, I'm sure that's terribly effective.

[Grunty1]

I'd wager it is far more effective than a viriginity pledge.

[Channel4NewsTeam]

Fleas don't live on humans the way they live on dogs. Perhaps a better analogy would be ticks, because ticks will latch on to humans and stay until they are done blood sucking.

Additionally, people do not become other people merely by choosing to sleep with them. There is no basis for declaring a magical transposition of bodies. Who becomes who? Can this be replicated in a laboratory? I'm remain skeptical.

[bubbuh]

Qu'est-ce que c'est? Bestiality? Pretty certain that's not the road to self-respect.

[bubbuh]

The pledge, like the sex that follows, is an "in the moment" activity. Gee, who would have that.

[magnolialiberal]

Let's see, promising not to have sex means not planning or preparing by having condoms, etc. available. Never saw that coming.

not!

[TheSpartanOfAuburn]

This just in. Fire is hot, the Earth is round and Harry Potter isn't real.

[ThinkCreeps]

I'm distraught: all my daughters were given Harry Potter rings for christmas - I was told they would fend off evil spirits.

[Dogwithoutaleash]

Breaking News: The sky is blue.

[JonasH]

Anyone surprised by the study should send their complaints to obviousreally.comreally.com

[GetoffMylawn]

Have them get married, that will put a stop to all that sex.