Sex Ed Turns Conservative

By Randall Murphree

(AgapePress) - Mike Long was a pioneer when he began his abstinence education program in 1986. At the time, almost no public schools or institutions were espousing sexual abstinence before marriage, and the education establishment was barreling full-steam ahead with misnomered "safe" sex ed programs.

Long was a teacher in the Durham, North Carolina, public schools when he first realized the devastating effects of such programs on teenagers. Determined to find a positive alternative, he received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Resources to develop an abstinence education strategy acceptable for public schools. After a decade of proving it can be successful, the program he’s developed -- Everyone Is Not Doing It -- began making great headway in 1995.

"When we become parents of a teenager, we need mega-help!" declares Barry St. Claire, national youth speaker and author. "Dealing with sex is one of the most difficult issues to communicate positively. Mike’s book gives us the tools we need to communicate the value of virginity to our teenagers."

However, not everyone is happy with Long’s success. Sexual purity, though based on centuries of moral tradition, has become anathema to a culture which demands "freedom" in all things -- including teen sex. Earlier this year, Long debated the issue on CNN’s TalkBack Live. His detractors were Helen Fisher, Rutgers University anthropologist, and Esther Drill, co-founder of a website that teaches teen girls about sex.

Both women came from a decided liberal bent, insisting that teens cannot help having sex. Fisher was challenged by one teenager in the audience for calling humans animals -- clearly suggesting that indiscriminate sex is simply a part of human experience. When Fisher denied having used the term, the teenager quoted her (correctly) verbatim. Fisher was speechless.

At one point in the debate, Long asked Fisher what her answer is to the teenager who says, "All right, you taught me about safe sex. I used a condom, but now my girlfriend’s pregnant. What you taught me didn’t work." Fisher appeared stunned by the question and stammered incoherently, knowing she had no answer.

At another point, the frustrated anthropologist called Long "uneducated," though he holds a degree from University of North Carolina. Fisher and company notwithstanding, Long’s program continues to find increasing use in both public and private schools.

"I’m thrilled at the way things are going in the schools," Long says, "and now, finally in churches." He was dismayed when churches initially shied away from the practical curriculum that trains parents and teachers on how to instruct teens regarding abstinence. The program uses an approach which helps teens see abstinence as the sensible choice, and helps them realize that it leaves them in charge of their lives and removes the risks of sexual activity.

He says many Christian parents believe they don’t have to worry about their kids being sexually active because they are in church regularly. "Kids in the church are exposed to the same pressures," Long says. "There are real problems among Christian kids."

Long has produced a number of teaching materials -- videos, audio tapes and books. The latest video series is called Everyone is Not Doing It. The four videos in the series include "Overcoming Peer Pressure," "The Emotional Roller Coaster," "Responsible Sexual Freedom," and "The Parent-Teacher Role." The series is complemented by a pair of Everyone is Not Doing It books, one for parents and one for teens.

Most school sex ed programs introduced over recent decades ignore or barely mention abstinence, and instead focus on birth control, contraceptives, how to have sex without intercourse and other "everybody’s-doing-it" practices. Long believes these practices too often lead to teen promiscuity, pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (STD) and emotional heartbreak. His program addresses birth control and the use of contraceptives, but gives the whole truth – that they cannot guarantee protection from pregnancy and STDs. Abstinence can.

"Besides," Long says, "I’ve never seen a condom anywhere that can protect a kid’s heart."

The educator/film producer believes that teens are mature enough and sensible enough to make responsible choices when given the truth about all options. "Once abstinence makes sense to teenagers," he says, "they are more open to the Biblical application."

William P. Wilson, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center Durham, endorses Long’s program. Wilson says, "Mike Long has presented in his book a simple method of authoritatively teaching sex to preteens and teens. More importantly, the principles he espouses are applicable to all moral instruction."

Long has personally conducted in-service training for more than 23,000 educators and youth leaders in 43 states. He has been featured on NBC’s A Closer Look, MTV’s Choose or Lose, Janet Parshall’s America, Billy Graham’s Decision Today, Concerned Women for America, American Family Radio, Focus on the Family, and more. He has clearly become a bonafide major player in the sex ed arena.