Russian priest suggests distributing ‘virginity shirts’ and ‘purity rings’ to promote chastity among youth

At the International Hippocratic Medical Forum, Archpriest Igor Aksenov said that Russia must develop a program to promote chastity among youth, reports The Moscow Times. Aksenov says this program should be introduced in schools with the aim of preserving the younger generation’s reproductive health. An excerpt from the archpriest’s speech was published by Russian journalist and socialite Ksenia Sobchak.

As part of such a program, Aksenov explains, adolescents should be informed about the harmful effects of premarital sex, the risks of unwanted pregnancy, and the dangers of venereal infections. “Teaching that extramarital sex adversely affects psychological and physical health. They could also make a solemn vow to practice abstinence until marriage,” said the archpriest.

Aksenov also suggested creating a youth movement to promote a corresponding lifestyle and is confident that chastity could even become a new “subculture” if it’s made to be trendy. This can be achieved, says the priest, by distributing “virginity shirts,” as well as rings, pendants, and bracelets with the inscriptions “Let’s wait,” or “True love waits” in Russian or in other languages to youth. He also suggested transferring the funds currently allocated to fertility treatments to these chastity programs.

The Russian Orthodox Church’s Simferopol and Crimean Diocese previously announced its intention to prepare priests for working with youth. They plan to create a “network of priests who will help students and schoolchildren understand traditional values and develop lifestyle principles,” said Hieromonk Anastasius.