Purity rings are worn as a sign of chastity

Chastity

Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....

. The practice originated in the United States in the 1990s among Christian-affiliated sexual abstinence

Sexual abstinence

Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...

 groups.
Wearing a purity ring is typically accompanied by a religious vow to practice abstinence until marriage.

David Bario, a reporter in the Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

, Rutland Herald, and several other news websites wrote:

Under the Bush administration

George W. Bush administration

The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...

, organizations that promote abstinence and encourage teens to sign virginity pledge

Virginity pledge

Virginity pledges are commitments made by teenagers and young adults to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage.They are most common in the United States, especially among Catholic and Evangelical Christian denominations....

s or wear purity rings have received federal grants. The Silver Ring Thing, a subsidiary of a Pennsylvania Evangelical Church

Evangelical Church

The term Evangelical Church may refer specifically to:* Slovak Evangelical Church* Armenian Evangelical Church* Assyrian Evangelical Church* Christian Evangelical Church of Romania* Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus...

, has received more than $1 million from the government to promote abstinence and to sell its rings in the United States and abroad.

See also

• Celibacy
  Celibacy
  Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
  
  
• CTR ring
• Purity ball
  Purity Ball
  A purity ball is a formal ball dance event attended by fathers and their daughters. Purity balls promote virginity until marriage for teenage girls, and are almost exclusively associated with Evangelical Christian churches in the United States...
  
  
• Silver Ring Thing
  Silver Ring Thing
  Silver Ring Thing is a virginity pledge program which encourages teens and young adults to remain celibate until marriage. It is based in the United States and was until 2005 funded by the U.S. federal government...
  
  
• Virginity pledge
  Virginity pledge
  Virginity pledges are commitments made by teenagers and young adults to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage.They are most common in the United States, especially among Catholic and Evangelical Christian denominations....