April 23, 2002
Hearing of the Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC

From:  Michael B. Long

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

My name is Mike Long and I appreciate the opportunity to submit comments for the record on Abstinence Education and H.R. 4122. Since 1986, it has been my privilege to travel to 43 states and train over 23,000 educators how to effectively teach sexual abstinence until marriage to America’s youth. It has truly been rewarding for me to see these teachers embracing my “directive education” techniques in teaching abstinence and applying them to their own talent, professionalism, and love for teenagers in order to be more successful in the classroom. From a health perspective alone, it is imperative that teachers, parents, and youth leaders receive all the help they need to be more successful in teaching sexual abstinence until marriage to our kids. That is why I support H.R. 4122.

 

I have seen first hand the tremendous results the Title V abstinence education funds from the 1996 Welfare Reform Act have had over the last five years across America. School system after school system has been able to replace failed comprehensive sex education programs with solid abstinence education programs that work. Since 1997, we have seen both teen pregnancy rates and abortion rates steadily decline simultaneously. That is unprecedented in our nation’s history and it is primarily due to the fact that school systems and youth organizations finally received the funding they needed to allow them to implement abstinence education programs for the first time.

It is imperative that this funding continues for the sake of our teenagers because there is no subject that has generated more confusion among teens today than sex. Teens say it is all our friends talk about (peer pressure), it is all we see on television, it is all we see in movies and advertising, it is all our favorite groups sing about, and in so many cases our teachers are showing us how (comprehensive sex education). No wonder so many teens believe “everyone is doing it” and if they want to be cool and popular like “everyone else,” then they need to be doing it too. The fact of the matter is everyone is NOT doing it. Teenagers who buy into this kind of “sexual freedom” promoted so heavily in our culture are now asking these questions: “Hey man, what is all this I am hearing about AIDS and STDs? Why are so many of my friends suffering emotionally from premarital sex? I am not ready to be a mother. I am not ready to be a father. Is there anything I can do to be ‘sexually free’ of these things?” There is no doubt the sexual revolution of the last few decades has not only produced the greatest epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, divorce, and heartache in our society; but also the most confused and misdirected generation of teenagers ever in our schools.

The “Safe Sex” Approach

And what has been the response of many educators to this epidemic? “We have got to protect these kids today and the best way to do that is to teach them how to use condoms and birth control while allowing them to make their own sexual decisions (comprehensive sex education).” This response coupled with the false assumption that “hormone enraged teenagers” are going to be sexually active anyway has led many educators to what I call a defeatist attitude in teaching. Such an attitude has caused many teachers to lower their standards and expectations to the level that teens today cannot practice sexual abstinence; therefore it is unrealistic to teach it. Their assumption has been teenagers are going to be sexually active anyway, therefore we must give them the information they need to “protect themselves” while offering them little or no direction to be completely free from serious consequences.

The Wrong Way to Teach

Imagine you are a teacher. You have a classroom of teenage students. You are getting ready to teach them sex education. Your assumption is most of them are going to be sexually active anyway. Besides, their hormones are flowing at that age. Therefore, most of them are unable to control their sexual desires. You want them to be protected from many very serious consequences. You say a few words about abstinence. You tell them it is the 100% effective method of preventing serious consequences. But you do not spend much time discussing abstinence because you believe that behavior is unrealistic. Remember your assumption? Hormones are flowing, they are going to be sexually active anyway, and they need to be protected. You spend the remainder of your instruction talking about condoms. You use props to demonstrate the proper use of condoms. You provide teens with information about other methods of birth control. You never offer any real direction concerning an expected standard of behavior because you believe it is up to teens to decide whether or not they are going to be sexually active. You are teaching from the vantage point that they will be sexually active.

Now, try to enter the mind of the misdirected teenager sitting in your classroom. Here is what they are thinking concerning sex:

It is all my friends talk about (peer pressure). It is all I see on television. It is all I see in the movies. It is all I see in commercials and advertising (sex sells). It is all my favorite groups are singing about. Then, consider the number of teens exposed to difficult family situations, broken homes, drug infested neighborhoods, gangs, etc. No wonder so many teens believe the following:

Everyone is doing it. I have the desire to do it. I want to be cool and popular like everyone else I see doing it (media exposure). In many cases, my teacher is showing me how (comprehensive sex ed.) Comprehensive sex education has asked children to make adult decisions even though they freely admit they can’t decide on their own. In the past this form of teaching has created an expectation in teenager’s minds that adults do not believe they can practice abstinence because they are going to do it anyway. Educators have equipped teens with a false security in knowing that their teacher taught them how to protect themselves. Alas, the environment of the comprehensive sex education classroom! No wonder we have had a teenage epidemic of sex in this country today.

As an abstinence educator and teacher trainer, the one thing I have learned from teens themselves concerning this non-directional, comprehensive approach to sex education is: Teens today know more about contraceptives than at any time in our history and yet most will choose not to use them for 3 primary reasons: 1) The invincible teenager - the nothing is going to happen to me mentality. 2) Takes all the romance out of it. Teens would rather sex happen in the heat of the moment as opposed to stopping to use a condom, etc. 3) Any teen that chooses to use contraceptives identifies themselves as being sexually active and they do not like the identity. So I learned a long time ago, you can teach teens all you want about contraceptives and most will choose not to use them anyway. Again, you’re asking children to make adult decisions.

One of the worst experiences I have ever had was talking with a 17 year old boy in Kalamazoo, MI who said to me (pay close attention to the words he used): “Mr. Long, I thought I was being responsible. I thought I was being safe. I thought I was being mature. I used a condom—just like they taught me in school. Why am I a father now?” What this teenager did not learn was the failure rates involved with condom use. He followed the instruction of his comprehensive sex ed. teacher who said the responsible, safe, and mature thing for him to do was to use a condom. That instruction failed him. Now he has to deal with the responsibilities of fatherhood at 17 years of age. My question to the comprehensive sex ed. teacher who offers this kind of instruction is, “What are you going to say to the teen who takes your advice, uses a condom, and still gets AIDS or any other STD?”

Another thing I have learned from teens is that many of them do not realize that their sexual drive is controllable and that changing their sexual behavior is possible. This does not surprise me due to of all the pressures they face to remain or become sexually active. The media portrays teen sex drives as uncontrollable. Couple this with the lowered standards and expectations of the comprehensive sex education teacher and you have reduced teenagers to the level of mere animals regarding sex. But we all know our teens are far more than that.

Teenagers are not just sexual beings (as comprehensive sex ed. teaches), they are human beings. That is why abstinence education emphasizes the mental side of human sexuality. It stresses to teens to use that smart brain they have and make intelligent decisions before they act so that if they’re not ready to take on unwanted consequences in their lives, they have the mental power to make decisions beforehand that will completely free them from those unwanted consequences.

Abstinence education teaches teens the emotional side of human sexuality. It teaches teens to consider the “heart of the matter.” This is where so many teens are getting hurt from premarital sex when their heart gets broken when someone gets what they’re after, and then they get “dumped” (which is usually what happens in most teen sexual relationships). This causes emotional heartache that teens suffer.

Abstinence education teaches the moral side of human sexuality. It is not for the teacher to impose his or her religious values in the classroom. Quite the contrary. It is the teacher’s responsibility to get teenagers to reflect back on what they are learning at home from their parents or in their respective churches, synagogues, or other religious institutions. Why? Because this is a very important aspect to human sexuality that one cannot ignore.

And abstinence education teaches the social side of human sexuality. Here we are dealing with consequences. We’re dealing with respect, responsibility, maturity, discipline, etc. Aspects of life that all parents, teachers, principals, and administrators want for their kids. Unlike comprehensive sex education, abstinence education goes much further in teaching teens all aspects of human sexuality instead of focusing mostly on the physical side. And abstinence education is much more effective because it is “directive” in its implementation rather than “non-directive.” Teens conclude by their teacher’s direction that abstinence is the wisest, most healthy choice for them to make at this point in their lives. The great thing about this kind of directive teaching is when it is taught correctly, it works!

For example, when I was in high school, everyday when I came home from school, I got this physical urge to eat. I wanted a snack. (A teen can relate to this!) Every time I felt this physical urge to eat, I went and immediately satisfied it with an afternoon snack. Every time I felt this physical urge and my immediate response was to go ahead and satisfy it, something negative occurred in my life. Ask any teen what happened and they will tell you I gained weight! One day I was walking down the halls of my high school and the basketball coach came up to me and said, “Mike, looks like you are putting a few pounds on, basketball season is just around the corner, you better lose some weight.” I then made a decision. From now on every afternoon when I come home from school I would cut out that afternoon snack. Just because I made that decision does that mean the physical urge that I feel is going to go away? Of course not. It is probably going to get stronger. But if I do not go and immediately satisfy it (out of control), it is not going to kill me. In fact, I learned ways to re-channel that physical energy in order to experience positives from it, not negatives. For me, it was to go out and shoot some basketball. As a result, not only did I lose weight, I became a better basketball player in the process. Now let us ask teens to relate this example to their sexual drive.

Abstinence education taught in a directive way is not designed to force teenagers to suppress their sexual drive in the back of their head like it does not exist in order to avoid dangerous consequences. In fact, abstinence education encourages teens to recognize their sexual drive, appreciate it, but understand that it is controllable! This kind of education empowers teens to redirect physical energies in order to experience positives in their lives, not negatives. It builds character, discipline, and self-esteem. It offers teens a way out (renewed virginity) of dangerous activities they may already be involved in. And it’s always amazing to me to hear the number of teens who have been through an abstinence program inevitably say, “I never knew my sexual drive was controllable.” “I never knew I could change!” When taught on a teen’s level, abstinence education gets the right results.

Abstinence Education IS Comprehensive In It’s Approach

If we want our teens to be safe and healthy in this sex-crazed culture, it is imperative that teachers be given the training and resources they need to effectively teach sexual abstinence until marriage as the standard for America’s youth. When taught correctly, everything teenagers need to make informed decisions about sex are covered.

For example, comprehensive sex ed. advocates like to argue that teaching “abstinence-only” is simply lecturing kids to “Just say NO!” That is a major fallacy. Abstinence education taught in a directive approach enables a teacher to present the issue on a teen’s level so that the teen concludes in his or her mind that abstinence is the wisest, most healthy choice at this point in their lives. In fact, the word “abstinence” or “no” is hardly ever used in directive abstinence education. Again, by the teacher’s direction, the teen concludes hundreds of times that “abstinence is the wisest most health choice for me to make.” That is what makes it work!

Another fallacy of abstinence education is that it is not comprehensive. In other words, it completely disregards any instruction on contraceptives. In fact, quite the contrary is true. Contraceptives are discussed at great length in abstinence education but the difference is that they are not presented as “safe sex” because there is no such thing nor are they presented as a mixed message which is so often the case in comprehensive sex ed. programs.

Consider Sec. of State Colin Powell’s remarks recently on MTV. He was asked how sexually active teens should respond to the AIDS epidemic. His response in so many words was to “protect yourself” by using condoms. Although his advice may have been considered by many to be well intentioned and reasonable, I didn’t provide the real truth behind the advice he gave. Here’s how I would have answered the question:

Many have often heard that if you’re going to be sexually active, you should use a condom. Well let me tell you what that condom WILL do for you. It will reduce your risk of becoming a parent when you’re not ready, but you must understand, the risk is still there. It will reduce your risk of contracting AIDS and some diseases, but you must understand, the risk is still there. What kind of odds do you want to play when it comes to AIDS, genital warts (HPV), and other diseases that will scar you for life? Response from kids is always: ZERO! Guess what? Teenagers just concluded that abstinence was the best choice for them to make. You never even said the word, yet teens themselves arrived at that conclusion on their own by simply hearing the truth of what a condom will do. They embrace abstinence because none of them want to take their chances of contracting these life scarring diseases no matter how much the odds are reduced. Oh, and by the way teenagers….I’ve never seen a condom made anywhere in the world that will protect a teenager’s HEART and this is where most teens are getting hurt.

Now, in this example, did I talk about condoms? YES I DID! The difference is, I told the whole truth about them and in doing so, teenagers are intelligent enough to embrace abstinence as the only answer to a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life. Abstinence education allows teens to learn that if they are going to be sexually active, contraceptives will reduce the risks of some dangerous consequences, but teens also learn that the risks are still there. This empowers teens to conclude that contraceptives are not always “safe,” nor are they the complete answer to the problem. But, unlike what most comprehensive sex ed. advocates say in that abstinence education does not teach contraceptives, don’t believe it! We do teach them. We teach the real truth about them. And teens make better decisions as a result.

One final fallacy of abstinence education is the assumption that educators are trying to teach religion in the public schools. This could not be any further from the truth. Abstinence education does not teach religion, it teaches good health. If good health (abstinence until marriage) happens to agree with a religious tenant, that is no reason not to teach good health. There are many public institutions that use public money to feed the hungry and home the homeless. Faith, hope, and charity are religious tenants. Does this mean we stop using public institutions and money to do that—of course not!

Conclusion

As more and more educators and health professionals embrace the effectiveness of directive teaching as it relates to abstinence education, they create a greater link between the school and community. Parents are all for these kinds of programs. In fact, in all the parent conferences I conduct, the overwhelming response from parents is, “It is about time!!” Abstinence education empowers parents with tremendous opportunities to direct their teens at home. So many parents ask me, “How do I talk with my teens about sex so they will listen?” That is the beauty of the Community Awareness Program that many public school abstinence education programs are conducting now. Parents are trained in an evening session the merits of “directive parenting.” They understand exactly what will be taught in their teens’ classroom and they are given parent manuals so that they can further the discussion at home. These programs are a beautiful link between the school and home and they empower parents to contribute to the education process. I seen very few if any comprehensive sex ed. programs that involves parents which is very unfortunate.

The real beauty of abstinence education is that it is cost effective. The Title V abstinence education funds allocated over the past five years have been a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money the federal government has put into failed comprehensive sex education programs. By expanding Title V in H.R. 4122, more schools systems that want to implement solid abstinence education programs will finally have the funds to do so. More teachers will be trained, more parents will be involved, and more teens will be saved from life-scarring consequences. Fewer teens having babies means fewer welfare checks. I believe that Title V is a small investment made in our nation’s youth that reap tremendous dividends across the board. The past successes of abstinence education programs across the nation will continue to grow with future investments. It is crucial that this committee gives abstinence education the necessary funds to continue protecting America’s greatest resource-our youth.

I appreciate the opportunity to submit these comments for the record, and ask that the Committee members direct any questions to me about this testimony. Thank you.

Michael B. Long
Author, Producer
“Everyone Is NOT Doing It”
Abstinence Education Program
P.O. Box 99487
Raleigh, NC 27624-9487
(919) 562-4080