Abstain from sex- the latest mantra of American teens

The latest fad in the United States of America is surprisingly abstinence!!!!! Shockingly enough the teen crowd, particularly below 18 years, is taking the buzzword seriously. Last year there were many public abstinence pledges with many millionaire celebrities joining the jing bang. This pledge has been taken seriously, alteast for a certain period of time, according to some analysts who have studied the abstinence of the teen folk in the U.S.

According to these analysts, only 7% of men and 20% of women remain virgins till their marriage. The matter is not so important from the ethical viewpoint but a very important topic with regards to healthy sexual behavior, they say. With sexually transmitted diseases making a come back in terms of number of cases reported and with ever increasing abortions sparking a major international debate, abstinence has caught the fancy of teens the world over.

But some are cynical about the whole exercise and they say this is an attempt at playing to the gallery. True to this cynical remark, it has been found that only a few, actually abide by their abstinence pledge once they are above 19 years of age. But when the matter in question is such a sensitive and personal one, it is very difficult for anyone to be judgmental and hyper critical of the issue.

On the other hand some are happy that something has started and if not a revolution, something positive might come out of all this. In the U.S. however this issue of teen abstinence has consumed tons of print and lots of television time and is catching up as a major national debate. Though the situation in India is still different in more ways than one, being promiscuous has become a fad amongst the teen folk. Can it be summed up as the teens at cross roads? Earlier the common refrain was – “ to be or not to be that is the question”. Now it is – “ to abstain or not to abstain that is the question”.