With nearly 30 percent of teens reported being sexually active, a non-profit group plans to mobilize millions of youth worldwide on Valentine's Day to make a public statement for sexual purity.
The second annual Day of Purity is a project of Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based public-interest group known for its legal advocacy for traditional marriage in key court cases over the past several years.
The recent NBC News and People Magazine poll reveals that that half of the sexually active youth engage in oral sex and 43 percent don't consider it as sexual intercourse, even though there are significant associated risks.
Liberty Counsel, however, is encouraged by another finding in the poll, showing 42 percent of teens who are not sexually active attribute that choice to religious or moral beliefs.
The Day of Purity is designed with that in mind, urging young people from elementary school through young adulthood to commit themselves to delaying sexual activity until marriage.
"Now is the time for every one who is concerned about the moral depravity of this culture to stand with our youth," said Mathew Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel. "Millions of youth have rejected the MTV culture. They want to be respected for who they are instead of being viewed as sexual objects to be used or discarded at will."
Liberty Counsel said youth leaders from several thousand schools have joined with several hundred organizations across America to promote the day.
The Day of Purity also will be observed in seven countries.
In U.S. schools, teens are being encouraged to counter the message that early sexual activity is healthy and normal.
One freshman health textbook tells students that "testing your ability to function sexually and give pleasure to another person may be less threatening in your early teens with people of your own sex. You may come to the conclusion that growing up means rejecting the values of your parents."
Partners in the Day of Purity include American Family Association, Campaign for California Families, Concerned Women for America, Coral Ridge Ministries, Exodus International and the Traditional Values Coalition.
"The Day of Purity gives all of us an immediate opportunity to make a positive difference, to change lives, to restore our culture," said Rena Lindevaldsen, international coordinator for event.
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Teens commit to chastity until marriage