May 5, 1999

Governor admonishes teens
to embrace True Love Waits
___By Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___AUSTIN--Sexual abstinence is "100 percent certain" to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases "100 percent of the time," Gov. George W. Bush told more than 2,500 Texas Baptist teens.
___The teens gathered April 24 on the grounds of the state Capitol in Austin to rally support for "True Love Waits," a worldwide campaign that challenges

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH addresses the True Love Waits rally of 2,500 Texas Baptist teens.

teenagers to make a promise to God to abstain from sex until they enter a biblical marriage relationship.
___Bush, who previously has publicly supported the abstinence-based program started by Southern Baptists in 1993, addressed and visited with the teens, some of whom traveled long distances to attend the rally.
___Bush thanked the teens for signing the abstinence pledge cards, 12,000 of which were displayed at the Capitol grounds during the rally. Signing the cards, he said, "is a bold act ... a revolutionary act."
___"Not everyone thinks abstinence is cool," he said, adding: "Abstinence is something to be proud of. What you are doing as part of True Love Waits is something to be proud of. There is no shame--only honor--in waiting for sex until you are married."
___The governor went on to say he believes "the strength of a society is not measured only by the wealth it accumulates or the technology it develops, but by the values its people share, values that must be learned when we are young, values like right from wrong and good from bad.
___"Love your neighbor as you'd like to be loved yourself," he advised the teens. "Give an honest day's work for an honest day's wages. Do not lie. Do not cheat. Do not steal. Respect others. Respect their opinions. Respect their property. And always remember that you are responsible for the choices you make in life."
___It is "vitally important you make the right choices," Bush said, because the major threats of today and tomorrow are not matters of chance but matters of choice.

AT THE TRUE LOVE WAITS RALLY, Brian Hall (center), youth minister at Woodlawn Baptist Church in Austin and local arrangements chairman for the rally on the state Capitol grounds, prays with Chelsea Calcatera and Christopher Mack before the program.

"Choices like drinking and driving, smoking, drugs, early sex and quitting school have lifelong consequences.
___"One of the best choices you can make is (sexual) abstinence. Having a baby as a teenager is a ticket to poverty and heartache, for parent and for child.
___"Abstinence isn't just saying no to sex; it's also saying yes to a happier, healthier future. It is clear the benefits of abstinence far outweigh the risks of sex. You have made a wise decision. By choosing abstinence, you are choosing a life that is physically, morally and emotionally healthy."
___Bush then challenged the students to go back to their communities and "urge others to have the courage" to likewise sign the abstinence pledge. "Tell 'em the governor sent you," he quipped.
___Two Texas Baptist teens also addressed the two-hour-long rally.
___"In today's society, we are bombarded with messages about sex from just about everywhere. Everywhere you turn, sex is glorified into the ultimate

MORE THAN 12,000 pledge cards were displayed on the Capitol grounds during the rally. Attaching cards to the display are Jeana Fikes of Anton, Stephanie Tubbs of Anton and Adrian Allen of Austin. (Photos by Dan Martin)

experience that 'everybody is doing.' You almost feel like some weird freak from another planet if you haven't done it," said Christopher Mack, a junior from Travis High School in Austin and a member of Woodlawn Baptist Church.
___"True Love Waits confirms that not everybody is doing it .. and that I am not alone in my convictions," he added.
___"Virginity is not something to lose because someone tells you, 'If you love me, you'll do it,'" said Chelsea Calcatera, a sophomore from Keller High School and a member of First Baptist Church of Keller. "It is meant for the wedding night, not prom night or the back seat of the car. It is special to be able to give your new mate your virginity on your wedding night."
___Voddie Baumann, an evangelist from Houston, told of his own birth to an 18-year-old single parent who experienced the "consequences of her sin and my father's sin."
___If his mother were speaking to the group, "she would urge you not to go down the same road" she did, Baumann said.
___"God does not call you to sexual purity because he wants you to keep from having fun. He calls you to sexual purity because he wants to save you from the consequences of your act.
___"God is not interested in being a killjoy but has your best interests at heart. Sexual purity is not about popularity; it is about what is best for you."
___

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