Generally considered and promoted by the majority of
die-hard Christians, parental figures, and health professionals as the only safe and
moral thing to do in terms of
sex. Depending on one's
personal definition, abstinence may not be limited to merely
sexual intercourse, but also to
sexual acitivities in general.
Abstinence can be practiced even after one has had sex (also known as being a "
reborn virgin" or "
born-again virgin") in order to achieve one of the above goals.
Some
politically acceptable alternatives to abstinence are
safe sex and/or a
mutual devotion to one partner. Non politically acceptable alternatives include
unprotected sex,
casual sex,
group sex,
homosexual sex, etc.