Abstinence

Feminist blogger Jessica Valenti's documentary The Purity Myth is available on DVD, and the flick exploring the virginity movement is on our must-see list. The film is adapted from Jessica's best-selling book of the same name, The Purity Myth, that looks into our country's obsession with virginity and how women are defined by their sexuality. Watch the trailer above to learn about the movie, and let us know in the comments what you think. Here's why we can't wait to see the documentary:

• Feministing cofounder, author, and "poster girl for third-wave feminism" Jessica Valenti is behind it. Jessica is funny, frank, and smart, and she's already proven with her book that this is an important and interesting topic — we can't wait to see it come to life.
• It explores the whole cultural phenomenon of virginity with clips from TV shows, celebrities, and movies. It's about recognizing how we're fed the information that puts purity and virginity on a pedestal, and the bigger issue, which is why women are valued based on their sexuality.
• We get a behind-the-scenes look into the religious supporters of the virginity movement and the often-creepy purity balls. We can't help but be appalled and interested in why these people believe what they believe.
• We see the reality of how this virginity movement affects politics. It's important to be reminded that this isn't just crazy people being crazy. The idea that women are defined by whether or not they have sex is serious, and if we don't take action there are serious political implications that will affect our rights as women.

Excerpts from Sarah Palin's new book — America By Heart — have hit the Internet. The ex-governor, who says she has presidential aspirations, talks about everything from American Idol to Levi Johnston's centerfold, to daughter Bristol Palin's pro-abstinence work. Sarah thinks Bristol is a valiant role model because she admits that single parenting is hard, unlike 1990s sitcom character Murphy Brown who glorified it (what was she, like 45?). Palin explains:

Bristol has boldly and publicly acknowledged in ads for the Candie's Foundation that abstinence is the only surefire way of preventing pregnancy. And for this, she has been accused of being a hypocrite. But to those critics I say this: Which is a more courageous course for a young single mother: to sit down and shut up and avoid the critics, or to speak out in a painfully honest way about how tough single parenting is? I'm biased, of course, but given the choice of role models between Bristol and Murphy Brown, I choose Bristol.

What does this bold activism look like? Well, most recently it took the form of a PSA with . . . The Situation of Jersey Shore fame. B-Palin and The Sitch talk Magnum condoms and how they both totally respect abstinence. Check it out above.

If Bristol is a teen mom who promotes abstinence, what direction will 16-year-old Willow take after her recent homophobic Facebook rant? Can we expect her to be a pro-gay-marriage advocate soon?

Bristol Palin isn't going away anytime soon. The abstinence pledger soon will make her acting debut on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a show that deals with teen sex and pregnancy. The role is a logical fit for the famous teen mom, but based on this clip, her acting isn't quite as natural. We'll get to see the whole episode on July 5, but for now enjoy this little taste.

• Bristol Palin takes her cautionary tale on road, for up to $30,000 a sex talk — HuffPo
• Demi Moore to write memoir — People
• France has first "burka rage" incident since ban began — Telegraph
• Indiana congressman resigns over affair with aide — Politico
• Portugal legalizes gay marriage — AP
• Meet the UK's first female, Muslim Cabinet member — Daily Beast

• Is this really antikissing, or is kissing a synecdoche for sex? — Feministing
• Jane Austen's out, and the Brontës are new "It Girls" — Flavorwire
• 7 steps to take if you think he's cheating — YourTango
• Hot guys read books too — there's pictures to prove it — Glamour
• 10 beach reads according to a beach-read writer — Lemondrop
• 4 questions for your next boyfriend — The Frisky
• 10 gorgeous movie brides — BellaSugar

Bristol Palin gained fame being Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, but she is now an advocate for abstinence and a spokesperson for The Candie’s Foundation. The single mom, 19, will sit with the cohosts of The View tomorrow, National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and talk about the realities of being a young mother. The "Pause Before You Play" PSA she filmed with her son, Tripp, has garnered national attention since its release. Bristol will also discuss an application created specifically for teens. The website said:

The Foundation is introducing a free 30-second “Crying Baby” iPhone app featuring a crying baby that cannot be turned off. The app, ending with taglines such as “Now Imagine this in the middle of the night,” is aimed at educating teens that a baby is a lifelong commitment. They are issuing a call to action on May 5 to download the app and are aiming to get 100,000 teens to download “Crying Baby.”

If you want to watch Bristol and Tripp's PSA, read more

When Obama decided not to renew the Title V grant program that funds abstinence-only sex education programs in his 2010 budget, places like McLennan County in Texas found their coffers, already depleted when their $800,000 grant ran out in 2007, dwindle from $1 million to zero.

Since 1997, $1.9 billion in government funding ($1.5 billion of it federal money) has gone to abstinence-only education, turning it into an industry unto itself. Although the Senate Finance Committee voted to restore the funding 12-11 last month, the measure needs to pass the full Congress, which is unlikely. At this point, it looks like private donors will have to cough up the funding if these programs want to survive.

Abstinence ed flourished in the late '90s and early 2000s and federal funding doubled from $80 million in 2001 to $200 million during the Bush years in spite of research that showed sexual behavior didn't change among those who had received the education.

So what's the future of abstinence-only education? Its advocates like Director Tracy Cousins of the McLennan County Collaborative Abstinence Program (MCCAP) in Texas considered tweaking their programs in order to get some funding. But they decided in the end that showing students, for example, how to put a condom on compromised their message of abstinence only. "We believe," says Tracy Cousins,"the best approach [for students] is they should not engage in sexual activity."