When South Walton High School junior, Samantha Carter transferred from her high school in Atlanta, she was surprised at the lack of sexual education information in her new district.
?We don?t talk about sex much at school,? she said.
She was counting on going to the annual abstinence rally in Destin, but to her dismay it was cancelled this year.
?We decided to plan our own abstinence rally,? Carter said.
Along SWHS group First Priority, Carter asked Brian Crook, the youth pastor at Good News United Methodist Church, for assistance.
Crook was supportive of Carter?s vision because teens don?t have a realistic idea of the problems related to sex within the school system, he said.
?Many (girls) may have had abortions or just disappeared,? he added.
After making a few phone calls, Crook was able to enlist Silver Ring Thing, a multi-media sexual abstinence program geared toward teens.
?It?s a worthwhile cause and I?m embracing it,? Crook said.
The congregation embraced the project too, donating more than $4,000 in one week to fund the event.
On Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m., Good News United Methodist Church will host a free abstinence rally at South Walton High School. The rally is open to the public.
Through this program, Carter hopes to ?plant a seed? in the hearts of area teens.
?(Abstinence) is the only way that?s true no fail,? she said.
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Many Teens Who Take 'Virginity Pledges' Substitute Other High-Risk Behavior for Intercourse, Study Says
Although teenagers who take "virginity pledges" begin engaging in vaginal intercourse later than teens who have not committed to remain abstinent until marriage, they also are more likely to engage in oral or anal sex than nonpledging virgin teens and less likely to use condoms once they become sexually active, according to a study published in the April issue of the... Journal of Adolescent Health, the Washington Post reports.
