Postcards from the Pledge

Teen virginity pledges don't work. We need real sex education, not misinformation about condoms.

"Teenagers who take virginity pledges -- public declarations to abstain from sex -- are almost as likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease as those who never made the pledge, an eight-year study released yesterday found.

"Although young people who sign a virginity pledge delay the initiation of sexual activity, marry at younger ages and have fewer sexual partners, they are also less likely to use condoms and more likely to experiment with oral and anal sex, said the researchers from Yale and Columbia universities. "

(from Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/
A48509-2005Mar18.html