Virginity pledge counter-productive - More effective sex and relationships education needed

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 22nd Jun 2007

As Lydia Playfoot takes her school to the High Court today over a ban on wearing a 'purity ring', worn as a sign of her belief in abstinence from sex until marriage, Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP and health campaigner, said:

"While religious people can wear what they like so long as it doesn't breach uniform codes, and can impose dress codes on their children, there is now good evidence that chastity rings are counter-productive in the fight against teenage pregnancy and STIs. Despite participants being frequently from religious families, research shows that exactly the same proportion of virginity pledgers have pre-marital sex as other young people, and there are particular problems with STIs because when breaking the pledge they are less likely to use condoms. Regardless of the outcome of the uniform court case which Reverend Playfoot deserves to lose, what we need in schools is more effective sex and relationships education, and not counter-productive, religious symbolism."