Earlier this month, the pro-abortion website, Salon.com, published an op-ed titled When Guys Find Out I’m a Virgin. The author, Ellen Burkhardt, is a 26-years old Christian conservative from Minnesota.

First, I must say, when I read the article I was surprised Salon published it. They are known for publishing articles like, So What If Abortion Ends Life, which argues the babies who die through abortion are lives worth sacrificing. And recent pieces like, I’m Having an Abortion this Weekend, where the Assistant Editor brags that she’s having an abortion.

However, this article was very refreshing, life-affirming even. The author writes: “I believe wholeheartedly that sex and love should coexist. In fact, I believe they need to coexist; that without love, sex is just a Band-Aid fix for something that should be addressed with words rather than walks of shame. What’s more, I’m an obnoxiously picky person who avoids letting go of control, being vulnerable and making mistakes at all costs — a by-the-book Type-A perfectionist.”

Burkhardt shares that she is a virgin and explains why she’s decided to wait until marriage to have sex. She also describes how men respond when they find out she’s a virgin. “I’m a 26-year-old woman with a college degree, a good job, an adorable duplex and no debt. I have a solid group of friends, a supportive family and a clear awareness of who I am and who I want to be. By most accounts, I am a successful human being. Yet the moment I have to tell the guy I’m dating that sex is not an option, I become a squirmy, awkward, fidgety girl who can’t make eye contact or put together a complete sentence. Think junior high dance, only without a bathroom to hide in.”

In a world that seems utterly obsessed with sex, “reproductive freedom,” and abortion it’s great that Salon is promoting the idea that her choice to wait until marriage to have sex is a good one. It’s about time the pro-abortion movement accepts choices that don’t cater to those who believe in abortion-on-demand. But it’s also a tragedy that our society views being a virgin as abnormal. It shouldn’t be this way. Burkhardt’s decision to choose abstinence prevents a host of difficult scenarios.

For example, abstinence is the only 100% effective way to prevent STD’s and unplanned pregnancy. And abstinence promotes a culture of life because it prevents unplanned pregnancy, which ultimately prevents abortions. As LifeNews previously reported, only 6.2 percent of girls that delay sexual intercourse until they are 20 years of age or older will have an abortion in their lifetimes. Contrastingly, 37.9 percent of women who are sexually active at age 14 will have one or more abortions in their lifetimes. Additionally, abstinence protects women and men from a world that loves scandals, promiscuity, and “quickies.”

As Focus on the Family shares on their website, “Multiple studies have shown that individuals who remain abstinent before marriage have a better chance of remaining faithful in their marriage. When spouses are faithful within marriage, it allows the couple, and specifically the male, to build, save, protect, plan and prosper. So abstinence before marriage and faithfulness within marriage have historically protected the individual and society.”

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Unfortunately, according to the liberal media, if you’re abstinent there must be something wrong with you and you’re either pro-abortion or you’re a crazy Christian who wants to take everyone’s rights away. Thankfully, there are plenty of women out there who don’t take sex advice from Cosmopolitan Magazine and have no regrets about saving sex until marriage. These women are brave; and just like Burkhardt they don’t care about social norms or being abnormal because their virginity and their bodies are too precious to fool around with.

Burkhardt concludes, “I’ve come to realize that of all the experiences and opportunities offered in life, to love someone is the most precious. A long time ago I was taught — and chose to believe — that love and sex are intertwined in such a way that to separate them would be to lessen their value. When it comes to my decision to stay a virgin until marriage — to hold out for that one-time-only chance to fully connect with and know and love another person — I want to make sure it’s the right man.”