OPINION:
“The idea of virginity comes from outdated — let’s be real, patriarchal — ways of thinking that hurts everyone.”
That’s a recent proclamation from none other than Planned Parenthood, an organization whose very existence is threatened by any semblance of self-mastery or composure.
The absurdity of the statement — which was tweeted by the abortion giant alongside an image of a billboard that reads “Virginity is a social construct” — almost takes one’s breath away for both its bombastic clinging to untruth and its lack of self-awareness.
Under Planned Parenthood’s operational model, virginity is presumably a threat to its existence, with sex serving as the very vehicle enabling the organization to survive and thrive. Thus, it’s never a surprise to see Planned Parenthood discouraging self-restraint.
But this statement is, without a doubt, one of the more bizarre and duplicitous declarations I’ve observed from the abortion rights group in quite some time.
First and foremost, calling virginity — a respectable decision to abstain from sex — outdated is little more than a feeble platitude. Society’s obsession with sex hasn’t done anyone any favors, with porn addiction and shattered perceptions plaguing hearts, minds and institutions.
Just because self-respect and restraint aren’t in vogue doesn’t make them less moral. If today’s culture has shown us anything, it’s that an obsession with sex, pleasure and the self creates destructive patterns of behavior that only beget mass bewilderment.
Virginity and self-control are certainly biblical values, with the Apostle Paul writing the following in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (NIV): “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.”
This might seem “outdated” to a culture selling the lie that any and all feelings and whims are worth chasing, but let’s remove the Bible and faith for a moment and focus on the facts. Waiting to have sex is better for everyone from a physical, mental and relational perspective.
Planned Parenthood believes that the “idea of virginity” comes from outdated ways of thinking and asserts that it hurts everyone. Yet study after study shows the opposite.
Before we even go there, though: Do we really need a study to understand how fewer partners put a person at less risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and emotional pitfalls that come from casual encounters?
Not only is this common sense, but anyone arguing the opposite is ignorant, lying — or attempting to prop up a sex-fixated business model. As for the latter, consider that Planned Parenthood proudly calls itself the “leading provider of high-quality, affordable health care, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education.”
But let’s get back to the claim that virginity and the ideas on which it is predicated somehow hurt everyone. A 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found the opposite — that virgin teens fare much better than their sexually active peers.
“This report demonstrates that students who had no sexual contact have a much lower prevalence of most health-risk behaviors compared with students who had sexual contact with only the opposite sex and students who had sexual contact with only the same sex or with both sexes,” the study read.
And the data points don’t end there. A 2012 Cornell University study found sex early on in a relationship can lead to decreased satisfaction later on.
Other research has come to the same conclusion: Waiting longer yields positive emotional benefits — and even longer-lasting happiness. A 2010 study from Brigham Young University “showed benefits enjoyed by couples who waited until marriage compared to those who started having sex in the early part of their relationship.”
I won’t waste more time looking at the data, because the consensus is clear.
Sadly, too many of us are so blinded by oversexualization in entertainment and media — and the human desire to serve ourselves — that we’re exchanging truth for a lie.
Also, I must briefly address Planned Parenthood’s patriarchal claim, as it’s both inaccurate and bizarre. How is encouraging men and women to wait to have sex the result of a male-dominated force?
Scripture — presumably the old-school perspective Planned Parenthood and others dislike — makes it clear that self-restraint is for everyone, not merely women. Furthermore, the results of waiting benefit men and women alike.
Spoiler alert: Planned Parenthood’s tweet is utter nonsense. Virginity isn’t a social construct; it’s a commonsense approach to finding true love, fulfillment and wellness.
So, what will you do? Follow the science, or bend to the diabolical whims of an organization whose existence is dependent on people believing the lie that virginity is somehow a social ill perpetuated by the patriarchy?
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books.
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