The other day, Australia’s federal opposition leader, Mr Tony Abbott, told a women’s magazine that he doesn’t think women should “give away their virginity too lightly”.

Criticism followed.

Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said, “These comments will confirm the worst fears of Australian women about Tony Abbott.”

How about Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd? Yes, he ducked for cover again, saying it’s not his place to “provide individual personal and moral advice to the young people of Australia”.

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The question is whether marriage – traditional marriage – is an indispensable basic to society.

Or is marriage just a matter of fashion – currently out of fashion with the media and trend-setters in today’s affluent societies?

Hundreds of thousands of young Australians suffer suicide attempts, drug addiction, dropping out of school and general misery. Ask your family GP how, in his/her experience, do children from stable families compare with those from de facto relationships in this regard.

The traditional family gives children security in a world that can be otherwise frightening and destructive of young bodies, minds and souls.

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The enemies of marriage and chastity accuse the Church and traditional parents, especially fathers, of double standards – focussing on girls being chaste, while condoning young males being unchaste.

But that is NOT what the Church teaches.

The Catholic Church teaches that, “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptised persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Sacrament.” (CCC, 1055)

And that, “People should cultivate chastity in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart . . . married people are called to live conjugal chastity . . . .” (CCC, 2349)

Jesus Christ taught his disciples that, “You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Saint Matthew’s gospel)