December 12 1994

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It's official: Abstinence is hip. Across the country, young people in growing numbers are saving sex for marriage - and the mainstream media, including Newsweek and the Washington Post, are taking notice. At least six different studies show that the number of high schoolers having sex has declined dramatically in recent years.

To promote the burgeoning proabstinence movement, the conservative Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council (FRC) has launched "Save Sex," an ad campaign featuring successful and attractive young people who are committed to abstinence before marriage.

"It's time for a love that is real and lasting and pure," reads the "Save Sex" ad appearing in Rolling Stone's October "College Special" issue. "That's why we believe in marriage. And why we are saving sex for it."

FRC points to evidence that abstinence is not only safe, but also conducive to a happier marriage. A 1993 poll commissioned by FRC found that the people most likely to say they are very satisfied with their sex life are marrieds who "strongly" believe sex outside of marriage is wrong.

"This series of advertisements is selling sanity," the Tampa Tribune said of the campaign. "It is thought-provoking and sophisticated, and it strikes back at the commercial, exploitative rot that the television, music, and movie industries have been perpetrating upon American children."

One of the ads, "Clean Slate," features young people who were once sexually active but have learned that "sex without a lifetime commitment is empty." The campaign also has been featured in the Miami Herald, the Washington Times, and on the Oprah Winfrey Show.