Against the backdrop of a sex-infused American culture, pledges like these seem naive and anachronistic to many. But teens in the program say a purity pledge makes them feel empowered, and experts -- both religious and secular -- say these ritual promises can play a role in keeping teens from engaging in risky sex or early pregnancy.
Teen pregnancy rates have steadily declined since the 1990s but the United States still ranks higher than any of the industrialized countries. Last year, 48 percent of high school students reported they had engaged in sexual intercourse; 15 percent said they had four or more sex partners during their life.
Most recent studies suggest those chastity programs aren't deterring young people from having sex. In 2005, teen pregnancy rates jumped for the first time since 1991, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
Some reports show as many as one in six American girls between the ages of 12 and 18 take some kind of purity pledge, part of a growing movement that has been buoyed by evangelical fervor and wholesome music idols like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, who fuel the notion that teens can be both cool and celibate.
The Internet is filled with offers for customized rings to symbolize that commitment to chastity, as are purity pledge forms for fathers, virgins and even for "secondary virgins" -- those who have engaged in "promiscuous behavior" but recommit to purity.
"In principle, for certain groups of kids, it can work," said Judy Kuriansky, a Columbia University sex therapist. "Psychologically, when you make a public statement, you are held more accountable. You have to face the music."
A June RAND Corp. study showed that virginity pledges may help some young people postpone the start of sexual activity. Still, there is conflicting evidence. Last year, a Marie Claire magazine survey showed that 90 percent of girls who pledge abstinence don't keep that promise.
"Britney Spears claimed that she was a virgin publicly, and then her mom said she was having sex when she was 14," said Kuriansky. "For anyone it's difficult."
"Everything is multiplied by saying something, wearing something, doing or signing something," she said. "But if it's foisted upon kids who are not psychologically prepared for what it means or if they are forced into a ritual they don't understand, then there can be negative outcomes."
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
