Purity rings are the hot accessory in pop music

Reece's comment is dumb. Just because a person decides to be abstinent does NOT mean they are uninformed. What is needed is a combination of support and information for teens. I think it is wonderful that there are positive role models like Miley and Jordan. BRAVO!

I have a 20 yr old daughter who has always said she wanted to wait until she was married. I have always praised her for making that decision.. She has had several relationships and I can't tell you how proud I am of her to stay true to herself and what she believes in. Society today literally drives kids to go have meaningless sex and they say its ok to do that. I think the Jonas Brothers, especially because they are boys, are making an extreme bold statement to everyone.. " I am waiting until I am married." That is so symbolic and truthful. I commend every person who waits. In todays world that is so hard. For you to say the people who have chosen to wait, wear purity rings, that when they finally do have sex that they will be uniformed is farthest from the truth.. My daughter is more informed about sexual diseases and AIDS. That statement is just a bunch of nonsense.. Go interview the real kids in this country who make awesome choices and have done a great job growing up and making meaningful lives for themselves.. Go back to college dude.... I am sure you dont have a purity ring.. You probably gave it up at 15 yrs old to your babysitter... Where are your morals........ Um, you dont have any....

To the so called "expert(s)" in the article.......
Innocence (and waiting)does not necessarily = illiterate on the topic of sex and its education. Only today can "experts" turn what use to be true virtues into modern day vices by there own definitions. For instance, if you wait for sex and combine it with love and marriage....would there even be a need for a PHD in contraception???? Their education not only has the wrong focus, and no disrespect to the talent of the pop music world, but we have for decades got our education about love from a two and a half minute ditty....not good for the "total" human experience! The experts seem to be the overly simplistic ignorant ones. It is the spreading of these false assumptions and misinformation (and acceptance and promotion of filth) and the lack of understanding in regards to human complexity of life and emotions that make them so wrong. Animals all have needs, but humans are called to have a higher existance. We are born with the gift of thought and knowledge of concequenses. Exercise it and use it. Otherwise we have learned nothing in this life and there is nothing that separates us from the beasts.........

"But these abstinence pledges leave people completely unprepared, once they make the decision to become sexually active, and what happens is that we have a society that is sexually illiterate," Reece told Reuters.

I think the final comment is incredibly stupid- just because a teen chooses to remain abstinent does not mean they are completely unprepared or ignorant. Simply because one chooses abstinence does not mean he or she fails to gain the education that SHOULD precede mature sexual activity. Does Reece actually mean that in order to be prepared for a mature, healthy, adult sexual relationship, one MUST engage in teenage, premarital sex? Is that the ONLY way to learn to make good decisions? I am appalled that someone who claims to be an expert on the subject could make such a ridiculous comment. It sounds as though Reece is claiming that kids should be out having teen age sex so that they are ready when they decide it's "the real thing." Hmmm... not quite the advice I received from my grandparents, whose marriage lasted 65 years. I rarely get fired up about a news report, but here's a group of teen celebrities trying to be good role models for my kids and we have a so-called expert spouting idiocy. It's maddening.

To say that the youth our our country is uninformed about sex and abstinence is ludicrous and absurd. It is an absolute breath of fresh air that there is finally a movement towards a stable foundation for our young people, and yet, leave it to those with obviously limited intellect to make such a comical statement.

Purity Rings - What a load of stupid crock! If you're going to be abstain from sex until you're married - fine. Just shut up and go about abstaining. And if you're going to wear a silly pink band around your waist, please spare us the interpretive blather.

If on the other hand, you're going to let your natural hormones take over, thats fine too. But again, just shut up and go about it. We're not interested in the details of your sex lives (or the lack thereof).

Someone ought to let these preening "Purity Ring" poodles into the little secret that shortly after marriage, one's sex life takes a bloody nosedive :) That ought to put a little perspective into that whole abstinence soapbox.

Sexually Uninformed isn't the problem. Our society is too sexually informed at earlier stages than ever. There is now a medicine that women "who have multiple sex partners" should take to help prevent a type of cervical cancer, which wasn't an issue facing society 50 years ago.
I am the parent of a teen girl and guy. I've encouraged my children concerning this (that is after we had our "sex ed" conversations). They both have purity rings. Our society would benefit from it and people would not have near the amount of sexually transmitted diseases they do in America and around the world if they simply controlled their bodies and set themselves apart for a monogamous relationship.
Our society (especially the liberals, who want no rules to govern this area of their lives) have real social problems that were not a part of a morally more pure society 50 years ago.
I'm glad that many of our young people make smarter decisions today than many 20-30 somethings. I would encourage every young person to keep themselves pure in this area first for moral reasons but also for health reasons and the great positive benefits their marriages will have being founded on such a strong foundation.

Dr. S,

Fifty years ago, society was anything but "morally more pure". In much of the Southern US., a non-white person wouldn't be allowed to sit in the front of a public bus, and lets not even get started on poll taxes.

There's a reason we liberals don't want rules governing sexuality - we don't want the government tampering with our personal liberties - just like you conservatives don't want government tampering with your Second Amendment rights.

Finally, if you choose to believe that suppressing human sexuality driven by natural hormones that have evolved over millenia, is somehow tantamount to "moral purity", well that's certainly your prerogative. Many of us would beg to differ.

beg and be different all you want!

As soon as that idiot opened his mouth, before he said a word about the JOnas Brothers or purity rings, I wished that he would have been hanged out to dry....then he opened his moutn and I KNEW he should have been hanged.....How could MTV pick such an idiot to host.......but then I saw and heard why Britney got so many awards.......they have lost their fricking minds.........

I agree, the last comment by the "expert" is completely ridiculous. Speaking as an adult woman who waited until marriage, when I was in my mid twenties, I can personally say I knew more about sexuality and relationships than most of my friends who taunted me for waiting. I became their psychologist and confidant when they got their hearts broken, got used at a frat party or a one night stand, got an STD and the countless scares of being pregnant, and one who did get pregnant. Because , I tried to help them with their situations, in the process learned a lot about myself and relationships, including sex. So much so that when I met my husband to be, he never expected to wait until marriage for me. But he saw through my actions my commitment to myself and God and it helped him realize I would have the same commitment for him and it made our relationship even stronger. I congratulate these teens especially since they are in the public eye and under scrutiny of the press for their decision. The idiot on MTV should never have been chosen to host, he was rude and obnoxious, but hey he's famous so what does real talent have to do with that. Oh and on the awards note, I have inside sources which tell me that nominations are actually "purchased" like Superbowl ads. NO wonder our favorites don't always win.

Ha Ha! I just love it when the person on MTV automatically becomes an idiot when he's opposed to any aspect of the right wing/religious fundamentalist agenda!
Well, it just so happens that amongst the most celebrated purveyors of the "Purity Ring" silliness, were Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson - certified MTV idiots. However, by virtue of their purity rings, I'm sure they're nonetheless exemplars of Dr. S's patented "Moral Purity" - is it available in a six-pack yet ?! :)

I said "before" he opened his mouth you could tell he was an idiot. Did you see his hair? And yes, MTV purchased appearances of "stars" with promises of awards. Sad.

I don't believe that Mr Britton is informed. In order to truly commit oneself to the purity ring, one must be completely informed. This includes information on how to avoid becoming caught in a situation that you can not got out of to safe sex practices and sexually transmitted diseases. I committed myself to a purity ring but was uninformed and did not keep my promise. My daughter has committed herself to a purity ring and is COMPLETELY informed on everything. The reason the program works is because parents today are not afraid to share information with our youth.

I respect peoples decision to wait until marriage, but I think Miss Sparks may have made a statement a bit to broad. I did watch the show, saw and heard her delivery of the statement in which I could justify an argument that says she called everyone who doesn't wear a purity ring a slut. Not nice. Public speaking is an art form all it self. And again I believe everyone has a choice in this matter on both sides of the argument, but as a public figure maybe she shouldn't be burning her bridges just yet. There are a lot of ways she could have said the same thing without alienating the general public and her fans.