Virginity Pledges Don't Stop Teen Sex

(WebMD)  Teenagers who take virginity pledges are no less sexually active than other teens, according to a new study.

But the results, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggest that these virginity pledgers are less likely to protect themselves against pregnancy or disease when they do have sex.

Researchers say the findings suggest that virginity pledges may not significantly affect teenagers' sexual behavior. Instead, they may decrease the likelihood of teenagers taking precautions, such as using a condom or using birth control when they do have sex.

Researchers say the federal government spends about $200 million annually on abstinence promotion programs, which include virginity pledges. Two previous studies have suggested that virginity pledges can delay sex, but researchers say those studies did not account for pre-existing differences between pledgers and non-pledgers.

In this study, researchers compared the sexual behavior of 289 teenagers who reported taking a virginity pledge in a 1996 national survey to 645 non-pledgers who were matched on more than 100 factors, such as religious beliefs and attitudes toward sex and birth control.

The results showed that five years after taking the virginity pledge:

82 percent of pledgers denied ever having taken the pledge.

Pledgers and matched non-pledgers did not differ in rates of premarital sex, sexually transmitted disease, or oral or anal sex behaviors.

Pledgers had, on average, 0.1 fewer sexual partners in the past year but did not differ from non-pledgers in the number of lifetime sexual partners and the age of first sex.

The biggest difference between the two groups came in the area of condom and birth control use. The study showed that fewer pledgers used birth control or condoms in the past year or any form of birth control the last time they had sex.

Researcher Janet Elise Rosenbaum, Ph.D., of Harvard University, says the findings suggest that health care providers should provide birth control information to all teenagers, especially virginity pledgers.
By Jennifer Warner
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[brainteaser2]

Young Kids should hammer their brains out before you have to think about what your doing. Just be sure that you are covered against pregnancy - which is not a Barbie Doll perfect thing.

[honestabe8]

Did anyone seriously expect a pledge to override millions of years of nature?

[irmcvet971]

Kids soday don''''t take those stupid pledges seriously, I mean who does! I blame the parents for being stupid on this one, not thekids all the time.

Posted by libssuck3 at 03:38 AM : Jan 01, 2009

Has there EVER been a fascist on PLANET EARTH who doesn''t want to blame the OBVIOUS FAILURE of yet another of their STUPID and SIMPLE MINDED ideas on AMERICAN''S? THESE freaks come up with this PLEDGE, THEY say it will prevent Teenage Pregnancy then when it becomes so plain, SO OBVIOUS that a first grader can see it''s a failure, they don''t say, "Okay, let''s try something else". NOOOOO!! It didn''t work because of??? AMERICAN''S!! ROFLMAO These people are DANGEROUS to themselves and the rest of us!! Honest people, there are ROCKS smarter than this poor loser!!

[irmcvet971]

I don''''t know why people feel the urge to be mean and hateful. No one is requiring you to like or dislike the looks of Katie Couric. There are people out there who don''''t like your looks.

Posted by fsw3 at 09:55 AM : Jan 01, 2009


Well you have to understand the simple mind of these poor uneducated people. In their small minds, if you can focus on the messenger then the message doesn''t matter. Course they haven''t the ability or education to debate the issue and throwing mud is all they know. Sad bunch and a load we must all carry I''m afraid!!

[irmcvet971]

82 percent of pledgers denied ever having taken the pledge.

Don''t you wish those who follow Pat Robertson would get an education? Learn to read and understand the Language?

[gaye5]

fsw3, that is fantastic, you were obviously a very sensible man but unfortunately most young people do and think later.. Their unbridled hormones are out there, and even with the knowledge that they might get Aids they don''t stop to take precautions'' it is always that it wont happen to me syndrome.. no education can stop that, they are young and think that they will live for ever..
Yes *** is beautiful and I feel that me must say that instead of that it is yuck.. but we must also teach the dangers of open *** emotionally and physically. People who have many partners especially women as they mostly give all, are more likely to commit suicide, and have emotional problems.. then there is the children that often come from these encounters who have to grow up without a dad..

[eus109937]

Sexis wonderful and natural and should be encouraged.

[burneb]

[If I had to look at Katie Couric any longer, that would keep me from having ***! man that is one ugly woman! Have the kids watch her a few times, beleive me they would lose interest in *** real fast! besides, who cares what she "reports" she is just a media stiff for the liberal drive by''''''''s anyway, which amounts to nothing!

Posted by libssuck3 at 03:36 AM : Jan 01, 2009----------------------------]


There they go again, those dang liberals, looking for evidence and facts !!

And if Ms. America reported actual news instead of "Fox news" or had any liberal thoughts of her own, surely that would make her ugly in personal appearance as well.


Jan 01, 2009

[brainteaser2]

I''ve practiced obstetrics for 30 years. During that time I''ve had the opportunity to deliver literally 100''s of virgins. In addition there have been an overwhelming number who deny ever having intercourse or anything as gross as ***. I could have told our civic leaders years ago that virginity pledges would be a joke and lo and behold they were. I have long felt that complete and effective contraception should be available starting at the middle school level. Now all you parents who think offering contraception encourages sexual activity - your wrong as you can see depriving kids of contraception has only increase the amount of sexual activity.

[pbkster]

Just say no. Then close your eyes reeeeaaaal hard and wish it and God will make it come true. Or I guess you could rely on that silly science stuff and wear a frickin condom.!! Religion is killing us all slowly. There is only so much room on this planet and its bein filled by people that believe in fairy tales even when they become adults. Jesus was a good enough guy but that old man of his......