ABC News Examines Increased Popularity Of 'Purity Balls' To Promote Abstinence Until Marriage

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 02 Oct 2008 - 9:00 PST

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On Monday, ABCNews.com examined the rising popularity of father-daughter "purity balls," which aim to promote abstinence until marriage. A slide show of images from a Colorado Springs, Colo., purity ball and an excerpt from the film "The Virgin Daughters," a British documentary about purity balls in the U.S., are available online.

As part of the balls, many teens make "purity pledges" that they will abstain from sex until marriage, with some also pledging to refrain from kissing. Some reports have found that as many as one in six girls in the U.S. ages 12 to 18 make some form of purity pledge, according to ABCNews.com. Although the pledges "seem naive and anachronistic to many, ... teens in the program say a purity pledge makes them feel empowered," ABCNews.com reports.

The effectiveness of purity pledges in delaying sexual activity until marriage is subject to debate. A June study by RAND found that the pledges might help some young people delay sexual activity, while a 2007 survey by Marie Claire magazine found that 90% of girls who pledge abstinence have sex before marriage.

Judy Kuriansky, a sex therapist at Columbia University, said, "In principle, for certain groups of kids, it can work. Psychologically, when you make a public statement, you are held more accountable." She added, "But if it's foisted upon kids who are not psychologically prepared for what it means or if they are forced into a ritual they don't understand, then there can be negative outcomes" (Donaldson James, ABCNews.com, 9/29).

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