Virginity Pledges Don't Work Either

Another study shows that the best thing we can do for our kids is provide comprehensive sex education:

According to a study released earlier today, teenagers who have taken a "virginity pledge" are still just as likely to engage in premarital sex than those who have not pledged their abstinence. But worse than that, the study found that those same abstinence-swearing teenagers are far less likely to use a form of birth control - condoms, etc - when they do become sexually active.

As I have opined in the past, attempts to achieve a certain outcome through misinformation, censorship of information, or pressure from authority figures simply does not work. We need to be honest and open with our youth, give them the information they need about sexuality, and most importantly, teach them the values of respect for the earth and its creatures, for other human beings, and themselves. If they learn this ethic, things will be okay for them (even if the actual behavior differs from what was desired).