Why Do People Get Purity Rings?

eHow
July 5, 2011

Purity rings, also known as "chastity rings," are symbols of abstinence worn by young men and women. The ring represents a promise between two parties that the wearer remains chaste until marriage. Purity rings are associated with evangelical Christianity, but the message translates to any religion or culture. Purity rings come in many styles and are often worn on the left ring finger to hold the place for an engagement and wedding ring.

Virginity Pledges
Teenagers and young adults sometimes take virginity pledges, either with their churches or their parents. Teens can also make a virginity pledge with their significant others. The pledge states that the teen abstains from sexual activity until marriage. Virginity pledges can be based in religion and are supported by Bible passages. They can also be statistically based, citing teen pregnancy, STD rates and other negative consequences of premarital sex.

Purity Rings
Virginity pledges are often accompanied by purity rings, a physical symbol of the pledge. Young women traditionally wear purity rings, but they are becoming popular for young men as well, thanks in part to publicity from pop stars like The Jonas Brothers, who have worn their purity rings publicly. Purity rings are usually a gift from parents to their children at a milestone, like a birthday or the start of high school.

Silver Ring Thing
The "Silver Ring Thing" program was created in 1995 in response to escalating teen pregnancy rates. A subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Evangelical Church, Silver Ring Thing holds conferences and events all over the world, and attendees of the faith-based conferences receive silver rings inscribed with Bible verses and take a vow to remain celibate until marriage. Silver Ring Thing is one of the largest faith-based abstinence programs in the United States. It received federal funding under the George W. Bush administration but lost support when the ACLU brought suit, citing a violation of separation of church and state.

Criticism of Virginity Pledges
A 2008 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study showed that virginity pledges are not effective at promoting chastity. Adolescents who take virginity pledges and wear purity rings are just as likely as their peers to have premarital sex, and they are less likely to use protection, putting them at greater risk for pregnancy and infection. The criticism of abstinence-only education is that it is unrealistic to expect teens to abstain, and when they inevitably have sex, they aren’t equipped with the knowledge of how to use to protection.

References
Time: Do Virginity Pledges Work?; Alex Altman; December 2008
Silver Ring Thing: What Is Silver Ring Thing?