"I Pledge Allegiance to my Cherry"

Now, I don’t think that making a virginity pledge is a very very bad thing – if that’s what a young person wants to do, then they have every right to do it. I wouldn’t advise someone do that (when it comes to serious commitments like marriage, I’m a try-before-you-buy kind of girl), but I believe everyone is entitled to their own choices with their own sexuality, and that includes abstaining.

But, it turns out that making a virginity pledge is a lot like a donut with rainbow sprinkles: sure does look good to some, but ultimately, there’s not much to it. A recent Yale study of 12,000 young ones finds that pledge-makers are at just as much risk as non-pledge-makers of contracting an STI. Other studies show that a good number don’t actually follow through with their pledge, and most of these pledge-breakers are grossly undereducated when it comes to the ways of coitus. I’m not talking about methods or maneuvers; I’m talking about birth control, STI protection, etc. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think when it comes to the ideas of abstinence and virginity pledges, ignorance is way too dangerous to be bliss.