Although it is common to hear about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and teen pregnancies, it is rare to hear about teens who choose to remain abstinent until marriage. However, this decision is not as atypical as it seems.

Abstinence has long been known as the only foolproof way to prevent pregnancy, AIDS and STDs. However, it was not popularized in teen culture until 1993 with the emergency of the True Love Waits® movement created by LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest religious publishing houses in the United States. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is a Baptist organization which develops more resources for Sunday schools.

The movement encourages teens to refrain from sex or sexual stimulation until marriage and to encourage their peers to do the same.

According to lovematters.com, a Web site which supports abstinence until marriage, over 2.4 million teens have signed the True Love Waits® pledge card, which states, "Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship."

Teens participating in the movement often wear True Love Waits® necklaces or rings. The necklaces are typically a train with a silver pendant reading "True Love Waits" or "TLW." The rings are silver and also read "True Love Waits®."

Some teens make their vows of abstinence differently. "I heard that some girls go through a ceremony in which they wear white dresses," senior Emily Sanchez said. "The girl vows to stay abstinent until marriage, and her father vows to protect her purity. Then the father gives his daughter a ring to remind her of the promise."

Junior Gabriela Hopkins has been wearing her True Love Waits® necklace since January of 2006. She learned about the movement through her church and a winter camp that she attends every year. "I wanted to wear it because it showed my beliefs on marriage as a Christian, and to show that I was willing to wait to have sex to show a commitment to my future husband and to God," Hopkins said. "I don't think the necklace really keeps me from having sex, it just reminds me that when I get married my husband and I will share something more than other couples that had sex before marriage, and we will never compare the sex we have with each other to sex with a different person; it will always be satisfying just as it is."

The reactions Hopkins receives are varied. "My family supports me, because they all try to keep the same rules," she said. "Some of my friends think I am crazy and others respect me for my decision. I don't really care if someone thinks it is stupid because my choice really has nothing to do with them and I am proud of the decision I have made for myself."

Although the True Love Waits® movement is gaining popularity, abstinence is not as common as it once was. "In this age, I think it is rare that teens stay abstinent," Hopkins said. "It has become much harder for teens our age to not have sex because just about everything in the media is related to it. Dating and partying is a lot different than it used to be; we are more pressured to have sex."

Not all students agree. "I think that about 50 percent of the students at Gunn have never had sex," junior Anna Bleisner said. "A lot of people feel like it is cool to brag about how many people they have had sex with, so they make it up. I don't think it is as common as it seems."

Remaining abstinent may be difficult, but it is possible. "Only once did I almost feel pressured to give in, and that was just me letting my emotions take over," Hopkins said. "Since then I have really realized that it is not worth it."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on True Love Waits®, visit http://www.lifeway.com/tlw.