American Idol Winner Defends Sexual Abstinence

American Idol Winner Defends Sexual Abstinence

By Jenna Murphy

September 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Jordin Sparks, last year's American Idol winner, has high standards and at this year's MTV video music awards (VMA), she fearlessly made them public.

Sparks was prompted to make an off-the-cuff statement in defense of sexual abstinence at this year's MTV's awards, following its onstage ridicule by the show's host.

The host of the VMAs, Russell Brand, a British comedian whose style of hosting the awards has been termed "x-rated" took shots at the Jonas Brothers, a group of three brothers who are well known in the entertainment industry for wearing chastity rings and for being vocal advocates of premarital chastity.

"I'd take it a little more seriously if they'd wear it on their genitals," said Brand about the boys' promise rings. Brand then joked that the brothers' decision not to have sex before marriage was "a little bit ungrateful because they could have sex with any woman they want. That is like Superman deciding not to fly and go everywhere on a bus."

A few minutes later, however, Sparks shot back from the podium: "I just have one thing to say about promise rings. It's not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody - guy or girl - wants to be a slut."

Sparks did not retreat from her passionate defense of abstinence before marriage in a Wednesday appearance on Fox's "Hannity and Colmes."

After being congratulated for having taken a stand on national television at the VMAs, Sparks responded:

"You know, I never do stuff like that, and so I went up there, and it was a split-second decision. And right when I got up there at the mike, I was just like, 'OK, I'm going to say it...and so I said it and it just came out," said Sparks.

Sparks comment at the VMA's was met with an audible cheer from the crowd and elicited a sheepish apology from the show's host.

"I didn't mean to take it lightly," Brand said about purity rings. "I don't want to piss off teenage fans."

However, Brand could not resist a parting shot, observing that, while he supported chastity rings, "a bit of sex, it never hurt anybody."

During her interview with FOX News, Sparks admitted that it is difficult to be a young woman dedicated to sexual abstinence while being a part of the entertainment industry.

"It's crazy being in Hollywood and making this kind of choice," she said. "You know, they're kind of just waiting to see if I mess up or something like that, so it is - it's hard…So now I really have to watch what I say, and who I hang out with, where I go, all that kind of stuff. So it does get a little bit more added pressure."