Abstinence Promoted For Valentine's Day

Concerned about the promotion of sex to youngsters, a conservative group is encouraging students to celebrate Valentine's Day this year with a "Day of Purity," marking a commitment to abstain from sex until marriage.
The Day of Purity is a project of the Liberty Counsel, a religious non-profit organization. Organizer Rena Lindevaldsen told Cybercast News Service the group decided to launch the event after being contacted by a mother in Michigan who said she was concerned about her children's school having a national "coming out" day for homosexual students.
Lindevaldsen and her staff had then coordinated a program which had its debut four years ago.
The first three years' events had seen thousands of students and members of church groups joining with organizations to celebrate sexual purity, she said. A similar response is expected this year.
Since love and relationships are intertwined with Valentine's Day, the Day of Purity gives students a chance to see that there are ways to show love other than through sexual activity, said Lindevaldsen.
In a statement, the organizers say, "We are a country that kills our unborn, puts a governmental stamp of approval on sinful lifestyles, and prohibits discrimination against all religious beliefs except Christianity.
"Plainly, America is morally challenged, having turned from the moral traditions of our country. The Day of Purity gives us all an opportunity to stand together in respect for the human dignity and worth of each individual," they added.
The Dayofpurity.org website offers such promotional material as LivePure wristbands and t-shirts. It also includes links to other resources and provides informative flyers on related topics.
Syed Gardezi, a recent graduate of George Mason University in Virginia, said while he liked the idea of promoting abstinence, "I honestly don't see this working for our young generation. You are planning to turn Feb 14th into a day of purity but what about Prom night, or minors going to movies unattended?
"The problem we are facing these days cannot be addressed with only one day of awareness. It is like we have an AIDS day but that is not the only day we should be educated about it," said Gardezi.
Not everyone agrees with the focus on abstinence.
According to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, teens who pledged virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than others who had not had intercourse but had also not taken an abstinence vow.
"Efforts to promote abstinence should be provided within public health programs that provide adolescents with complete and accurate information about sexual health," the American Public Health Association says in a policy statement.
"Sexuality education should be non-judgmental and support parent-child communication and should not impose religious or ideological viewpoints upon students," it adds.
APHA declined to comment for this article.
The Liberty Counsel is optimistic about the project's effectiveness and ongoing success.
A promotional DVD is to be released with Christian singers like Mark Hall of the Casting Crown expressing his views of the matter, and plans for 2008 are already in the works with a live national webcast planned.
"I really see this as an opportunity for the youth to stand up and tell the adults that we can choose and we are choosing, because so many think that kids can't make that choice, and I have heard the opposite," Lindevaldsen said.
"I have had kids contact me and say 'Thank you for doing this' and 'Thank you for believing in us,' and that's just been such an encouragement."
from Cybercast News Service