Virginity pledge
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Abstinence pledges are commitments made by people, often though not always teenagers and young adults, to practice
abstinence Abstinence is a self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol, drugs, food, etc. ...
, usually in the case of practicing teetotalism with respect to abstaining from alcohol and other drugs, or chastity, with respect to abstaining from
sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
until marriage; in the case of sexual abstinence, they are sometimes also known as purity pledges or virginity pledges. They are most common in the United States among Catholic and Evangelical
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
denominations, while others are nonsectarian.


History

The temperance movement arose in the 18th century and spread throughout Christians of the Methodist, Presbyterian,
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
, and Roman Catholic denominations, among others. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), has encouraged people in their communities to sign abstinence pledges with the undersigned promising to not use alcohol or other drugs; the following is an example of wording that may appear on such abstinence pledge cards: "I hereby promise, by the help of God, to abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors, including wine, beer, and cider as a beverage." Taking the abstinence pledge enrolls those signing the cards as members in the temperance organization that is distributing them, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Independent Order of Rechabites and International Organisation of Good Templars, among others. The Catholic Total Abstinence League of the Cross, founded by Cardinal Henry Manning in 1873, had the following pledge: "I promise to you, reverend father, and to the League of the Holy Cross, by the help of God's grace, to abstain from all intoxicating drinks." A similar organisation, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, continues distributing abstinence pledges today and
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
instated an plenary indulgence of 100 days for those promoting it. In Ireland, it is common for school children to take the pledge of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association after which they receive a lapel pin. The first program encouraging individuals to sign a pledge encouraging abstinence from sexual intercourse until marriage is
True Love Waits True Love Waits may refer to: *True Love Waits (organization), an international Christian organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage. * True Love Waits (song), "True Love Waits" (song), a song by Radiohead * True Love Waits (album), ''T ...
, started in 1993 by the
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
, which now claims over 2.5 million pledgers worldwide in dozens of countries. A torrent of abstinence pledge programs encouraging people to save sexual intercourse for marriage followed; one such program is the
Silver Ring Thing Purity rings (also known as promise rings, abstinence rings, or chastity rings) are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, in the United States, Christian organizations, especially Catholic and evangelical Christian groups, promoting ...
(SRT), which started in 1995 has been featured in hundreds of media reports worldwide. In 2005, the
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". ...
sued the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...
because it believed SRT used tax dollars to promote Christianity. SRT presented a two-part program, the first part about abstinence; the second about how the Christian faith fits into an abstinence commitment. The ACLU claimed federal funding given to this program violated their interpretation of separation of Church and State. On August 22, 2005, the department suspended SRT's $75,000 federal grant until it submitted a "corrective action plan." In 2006, a corrective action plan was accepted by the department, the lawsuit was dismissed and SRT received its Federal Funding. Abstinence pledge programs take a variety of stances on the role of religion in the pledge: some use religion to motivate the pledge, putting Biblical quotes on the cards, while others use statistics and arguments to motivate the pledge. Advocacy of virginity pledges is often coupled with support for abstinence-only sex education in public schools. Advocates argue that any other type of sexual education would promote sex outside of marriage, which they hold to be immoral and risky.


Gallery and examples

File:Murphy temperance pledge card.jpg, Abstinence pledge card distributed by Francis Murphy, an early leader in the temperance movement (1877) File:IOGT Membership Card.jpg, IOGT abstinence pledge card encouraging teetotalism with respect to alcohol and other drugs (2017) File:Abstinence pledge.jpg, Abstinence pledge card encouraging chastity until marriage (2021) Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR) 1900 abstinence pledge:
I promise to abstain from all intoxicating liquors as beverages and to discountenance their use by others.
Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) current abstinence pledge:
I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented and malt liquors, including wine beer and hard cider, and to employ all proper means to discourage the use of and traffic in the same.
Pioneer Total Abstinence Association abstinence pledge and prayer (recited twice daily by members):
For your greater glory and consolation, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for your sake to give good example, to practice self-denial, to make reparation to you for the sins of intemperance and for the conversion of excessive drinkers, I will abstain for life from all intoxicating drinks. Amen.
True Love Waits True Love Waits may refer to: *True Love Waits (organization), an international Christian organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage. * True Love Waits (song), "True Love Waits" (song), a song by Radiohead * True Love Waits (album), ''T ...
1993 abstinence pledge read as follows:
"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, those I date, and my future mate to be sexually pure until the day I enter marriage."
True Love Waits True Love Waits may refer to: *True Love Waits (organization), an international Christian organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage. * True Love Waits (song), "True Love Waits" (song), a song by Radiohead * True Love Waits (album), ''T ...
more recent abstinence pledge reads:
"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a Biblical marriage relationship."
True Love Waits True Love Waits may refer to: *True Love Waits (organization), an international Christian organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage. * True Love Waits (song), "True Love Waits" (song), a song by Radiohead * True Love Waits (album), ''T ...
recent abstinence pledge (2009):
"I am making a commitment to myself, my family, and my Creator, that I will abstain from sexual activity of any kind before marriage. I will keep my body and my thoughts pure as I trust in God's perfect plan for my life."
(quote on card) "''It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his/her own body in a way that is holy and honorable." 1 Thess 4:3-4''


Studies

There have been numerous peer-reviewed studies on those who have taken abstinence pledges promising to maintain chastity until marriage, with varying results. Four of the five peer-reviewed virginity pledge studies and the non-peer-reviewed study discussed below use the same federal data, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), in which 13,000 adolescents were interviewed in 1995, 1996, and 2000. The other peer-reviewed study used a study of virginity pledges in California. The first peer-reviewed study of virginity pledgers (by sociologists
Peter Bearman Peter Shawn Bearman (born 1956) is an American sociologist, notable for his contributions to the fields of adolescent health, research design, structural analysis, textual analysis, oral history and social networks. He is the Jonathan R. Cole Pr ...
of
Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
and Hannah Brueckner of Yale) found that in the year following their pledge, some virginity pledgers are more likely to delay sex than non-pledgers; when virginity pledgers do have sex, they are less likely to use contraception than non-pledgers. This study found, however, that virginity pledges are only effective in high schools in which about 30% of the students had taken the pledge, meaning that they are not effective as a universal measure. Their analysis was that identity movements work when there is a critical mass of members: too few members, and people don't have each other for social support, and too many members, and people don't feel distinctive for having taken the pledge. This study was criticized for not being able to conclude causality, only correlation, a criticism which applies to all studies of virginity pledges thus far. A second peer-reviewed study, also by Bearman and Brueckner, looked at virginity pledgers five years after their pledge, and found that the pledgers have similar proportions of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and at least as high proportions of anal and oral sex as those who have not made a virginity pledge. They deduced that there was substitution of oral and anal sex for vaginal sex among the pledgers, although the data for anal sex without vaginal sex reported by males did not reflect this directly. This study also estimated that male pledgers were 4.1 times more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who did not pledge (25% vs. 6%), and estimated that female pledgers were 3.5 times more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who did not pledge (21% vs. 6%). The study also noted that those who pledge yet became sexually active reported fewer partners and were not exposed to STI risk for as long as nonpledgers. A third peer-reviewed study — by Melina Bersamin and others at Prevention Research Center, in Berkeley, California — found that adolescents who make an informal promise to themselves not to have sex will delay sex, but adolescents who take a formal virginity pledge do not delay sex. A fourth peer-reviewed study — by
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
public health researcher
Janet Rosenbaum Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French p ...
published in the American Journal of Public Health in June 2006 — found that over half of adolescents who took virginity pledges said the following year that they had never taken a pledge. This study showed that those who make the pledge but have sex are likely to deny ever pledging; and many who were sexually active prior to taking the pledge deny their sexual history, which, it is speculated, may cause them to underestimate their risk of having STIs. A fifth peer-reviewed study, also by Janet Rosenbaum published in the journal ''
Pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
'' in 2009, found no difference in sexual behavior of pledgers and similar non-pledgers five years after pledging, but found pledgers were 10
percentage point A percentage point or percent point is the unit (measurement), unit for the Difference (mathematics), arithmetic difference between two percentages. For example, moving up from 40 percent to 44 percent is an increase of 4 percentage points, but a ...
s less likely to use condoms and 6 percentage points less likely to use birth control than similar non-pledgers. Rosenbaum's study was innovative for using
Rubin causal model The Rubin causal model (RCM), also known as the Neyman–Rubin causal model, is an approach to the statistical analysis of cause and effect based on the framework of potential outcomes, named after Donald Rubin. The name "Rubin causal model" was ...
matching, instead of relying on regression analysis, which makes potentially untrue parametric assumptions. According to Rosenbaum, past research findings that virginity pledgers delayed sex may have been affected by their statistical method's inability to adjust fully for pre-existing differences between pledgers and non-pledgers: pledgers are much more negative towards premarital sex prior to even taking the pledge, so would be predicted to delay sex even if they hadn't taken the pledge. Comparing pledgers with similar non-pledgers is the only way to be certain that the effect comes from the pledge rather than the pre-existing greater beliefs of pledgers that sexuality should be restrained to the matrimonial context.


Criticism

The efficacy of virginity pledges has been extensively studied. Some studies have found that virginity pledges may be effective at delaying vaginal intercourse, but that they are ineffective in reducing the incidence of
sexually transmitted infection Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are Transmission (medicine), spread by Human sexual activity, sexual activity, especi ...
s (STIs) because pledgers may replace vaginal intercourse with other sexual activities, such as oral sex and
anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. ...
; other research, however, has suggested no such substitution among pledgers, though pledgers may partake in vaginal or oral sex. Virginity pledges may also reduce the likelihood of
contraceptive Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
use once pledgers decide to engage in sex. Though studies have reported this and found that pledgers are more likely to remain virgins by age 25 than those who do not pledge and that those who do become sexually active report fewer sexual partners, at least one study found no difference in the sexual behavior of pledgers and non-pledgers after controlling for pre-existing differences between the groups. According to a study published in 2014 from the University of Washington, Evangelical men who made an abstinence pledge and got married would like more conversations about the place of sex in marriage in their churches. Molly McElroy
Virginity pledges for men can lead to sexual confusion — even after the wedding day
washington.edu, USA, October 9, 2015


See also

*
Adolescent sexuality in the United States The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups. Tee ...
*
Born-again virgin A born-again virgin (also known as a secondary), is a person who, after having engaged in sexual intercourse, makes some type of commitment not to be sexually active again until marriage. The term has been used among evangelical and fundamentali ...
* Confraternity of the Cord of Saint Thomas *
Fornication Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. When one or more of the partners having consensual sexual intercourse is married to another person, it is called adultery. Nonetheless, John ...
* List of Temperance organizations *
Purity Ball A purity ball is a formal dance event typically practiced by some conservative Christian groups in the United States. The events are attended by fathers and their teenage daughters in order to promote virginity until marriage. Typically, daught ...
* Purity ring * Theology of the body * Sexual abstinence


References

{{Portal, Evangelical Christianity} Sexual abstinence Adolescent sexuality Temperance movement Woman's Christian Temperance Union