I've been part of many disputes about the "excellence" of sexual abstinence. Here's an article (in Swedish) about Katy, an american woman who's taken this to extremes and had her first kiss when she got married. I'll admit, it's very sweet and romantic, I respect her choice and wish her all the best for the rest of her life! However, when others are starting to propagate for this being The Way Things Should Be (as is done in said article), the sweet romantic feeling gets a bit lost, and we get back to a dispute of How Things Should Be.

Among the arguments for abstinence, I'd like to highlight the following:

• But the only thing that really protects against disease, or to feel used because you've been with the wrong person, is abstinence, says Clara Lidström.

An aquaintance has responded with the following:

It's up to each, of course, but if two people choose to spend the rest of their lives together, the physical needs to match as well. Who says that it [abstinence] protects against being used?

I believe the best protection is experience. The best fireman isn't the one who's never lit a match, who's never blown out a candle...

Personally, I wonder what this new kind of wave of abstinence will do to divorce rates...