Rules of the Purity Ring
The purity ring dates back to the 1990s and is associated with a pledge of virginity. It is sometimes promoted by certain Christian-based organizations. Also affiliated with the purity ring is the Silver Ring Thing and the True Love Waits movements. A similar ring is the CTR (Choose the Right) ring for the Latter-day Saint Youth. These programs are designed to encourage teenagers to abstain from participating in sexual activities before marriage.
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The Rules
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There are questions regarding what it means to remain virginal, or to refrain from sexual activities. For some it simply means stopping before engaging in sexual intercourse. Others are much more specific. The rules set forth by the organization, True Love Waits (TLW) are that, "one must refrain from having sexual intercourse, oral sex and sexual touching." It also requires that followers cannot commit adultery, meaning to not step outside the boundaries of the marriage covenant for extra-marital sexual relationships. In the case of the Latter-day Saint youth, they are additionally encouraged to also act and dress modestly as part of their commitment to high moral conduct.
The Pledge
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When making this pledge to be morally chaste, followers makes this pledge to refrain from premarital and extra-marital sexual activities to themselves, their family, their future spouses, future children and to God.
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Governement Funding
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During the Bush administration, grants were given to organizations that encouraged unmarried teenagers to sign a virginity pledge. However, there has been some backlash to the grants being given to religious organizations promoting the programs. In one example, the Silver Ring Thing ministry received over $1 million for promoting abstinence programs and was accused of using the movement to bring youth to Christianity.
Controversy and the ACLU
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Controversy over the movement brought the attention of the ALCU. The ACLU then in turn brought suit against the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Associate Commissioner for the Administration on Children, Youth and Families with the complaint that they were backing a religious secular institution by giving grant money to the movement, which was in turn recruiting their religious agenda and not just promoting abstinence for the youth of the nation.
Potential Benefits
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If one sets aside the religious controversy, the positive side to this movement is that in abstaining from premarital individuals avoid unwanted teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease such as HIV and AIDS, For married individuals, they also avoid STDs and the complications of broken vows such as separation, divorce and dysfunctional family issues.
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