The Church Guide September 2013 Cover

By Brad Mattes ~ LifeNews.com
Just when I think I've heard it all,
I come across something that makes
me pause in disgust. I read an article
from the Huffington Post titled, “How
Do You Feel about Sex and Teenage
Sleepovers?”
There's no doubt how I feel, but
let's first take a look at what the author
said. In the first paragraph she asks,
“Why not teach children how to have
sex well, the way you teach them how
to do other things?” She elaborates,
describing parents inviting the
teenager's partner over, having a nice
dinner and then the couple “toddles” off
to bed together. (In reality, that's just
permitting the behavior to take place,
not actually educating.)
Then she goes further stating, “It
seems logical to me that the same way
I try to teach my kids to exercise, sleep
well and be good people, I would teach
them to have healthy sex with other
good people.” Appalling mental
scenarios come to mind, but I'm not
going there. The author's arguments in
the article are built on a number of
faulty premises. I'll address three:
1. Blaming abstinence-only sexeducation
for the teen pregnancy
rate in the US.
Abstinence-only sex-ed has
become increasingly rare in our
schools, instead being replaced by socalled
comprehensive sex-ed. The
truth is, comprehensive sex-ed isn't
working. It fosters an environment of
promoting adolescent sexual activity
by implying that teen relationships
should include sex.
Further, it falsely assumes that
teens don't have the ability to avoid
sexual experimentation. Teens are
actually empowered by embracing
sexual purity. For example, a group
called Healthy Visions has been
welcomed into high schools to tackle
tough issues like promiscuity. They
present teens with the consequences
of sexual activity and empower them to
make better life choices. Through their
n o - n o n s e n s e , s t r a i g h t - f o r w a r d
approach, teens are shown they can
“change their story.” The impact it's had
on students' lives is nothing short of
astounding.
2. Presenting only 2 perspectives:
either abstinence means “sex-isbad”
or promiscuity equals “sex-isawesome.”
Just because a person believes in
abstinence doesn't mean that he or she
thinks sex is bad. In fact, I support
abstinence and think sex is great! But
it's a gift to be given within marriage,
rather than promoting it as something
casual. It's an act that's to be treated
with respect.
Recently, Duck Dynasty stars
Jase Robertson and wife Missy shared
why they chose to wait until marriage to
have sex. Jase told reporters, “We
were both virgins when we got married
until our wedding night. We decided to
do it God's way and basically had a
godly agreement that we would help
each other get to heaven.” Teaching
teens respect and encouraging selfcontrol
reinforces how awesome sex
really is and why it's important to wait
for the right time and the right person.
3. Downplaying the risks of teen
sex, while calling abstinence the
“scare-them-silly” camp.
We live in a highly sex-saturated
culture that mocks abstinence.
Unfortunately, this has made it easy for
teens to embrace casual sex. Yet,
there are consequences for those
actions. No matter how “healthy” and
“responsible” sex is, young people are
putting themselves at risk of sexually
transmitted diseases, unplanned
pregnancies and all but certain
emotional repercussions. This isn't
about instilling a false sense of fear;
there are real dangers that exist and
cannot be ignored. Abstinence offers
the only truly healthy alternative.
Surprisingly, there's one thing that
the author and I agree on—the role of
parents. She writes, “It also turns out
that parents have more influence on
what their kids think and do about sex
than teachers do. Parental attitudes, it
turns out, are far more influential and
meaningful.” That's why it's crucial we
stay engaged in our children's lives
and not be afraid to discuss sexual
purity. We have to be honest; it isn't
easy for teens to remain abstinent.
Olympic athlete, Lolo Jones
shared this about her efforts to remain
abstinent, “It's just something, a gift
that I want to give to my husband. But
please understand this journey has
been hard… Harder than training for
the Olympics, harder than graduating
from college, has been to stay a virgin
before marriage.”
What's not surprising is abortiongiant
Planned Parenthood also openly
advocates for teen sex. From their
perspective, “The solution… is to teach
young people how to experience
sexual pleasure instead of teaching
them not to have sex.” Their motive is
clear. When teens are sexually active,
they need to rely on Planned
Parenthood's services, including their
lucrative abortion “services.” It's a sick
and manipulative approach that fuels
Planned Parenthood's business
model. It's why we must diligently fight
to protect the lives of not just the
unborn, but of our young people.
Bradley Mattes is the executive director of Life
Issues Institute, a national pro-life educational
group. Mattes is a veteran of the pro-life cause,
with over 33 years of educational, political and
humanitarian experience.