Abstinence Education An Emerging Trend In Mass.? By Ed Oliver May 20, 2003 Abstinence education programs have begun to pop up in Boston area schools recently in what many hope is a sign of an emerging trend.

Marblehead H.S.Principal Marilyn Hurwitz with some of her students.

The Gerard Foundation sponsored three recent appearances by the Abstinence Clearinghouse' "Truth for Youth" program at Swampscott High, Marblehead High and the all-girl Notre Dame Academy in Hingham.

The assembly at the Marblehead High gym in front of 860 students featured as a guest speaker former Lakers player A.C. Green. Dubbed the "iron man" of the NBA, Green played in 1,192 consecutive games during his career. He has remained sexually abstinent all his life until marriage last year to his wife, Veronique, who accompanied him to the school.

A. C. Greene has publicly endorsed sexual abstinence throughout the Lakers' heyday when his teammates included stars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Green 39, a Portland Oregon native, has publicly endorsed sexual abstinence throughout the Lakers' heyday when his teammates included stars like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He has his own youth foundation and a free basketball camp for youths, which includes field trips to businesses to let the kids know they can aim for other careers besides basketball. Green tells MassNews that even though he has his own abstinence program called "Game Plan," he is happy to help out and partner with other organizations like Abstinence Clearinghouse. He says kids respond differently to the message but everybody is interested in hearing it, if only because it is new and different.

"Abstinence is a very important message, it is something I have believed and lived all my life. My wife and I now travel together around the country to talk about the benefits of waiting and how that applies to marriage."

During his talk to the kids who listened in rapt attention, Green explained how it is not a popular decision to stand up for abstinence in the NBA and what it comes down to is how much you respect yourself. Telling a story about the time Magic Johnson announced to his teammates in the locker room that he was HIV positive, Green told the kids, "This is real. Decisions you make today have an effect on tomorrow.

The Abstinence Clearinghouse presentation was the first time in Marblehead High School's history that the abstinence message was taught. The school's principal, Marilyn Hurwitz, tells MassNews that the idea came from a parent who has two sons at the school. The parent had seen a similar presentation elsewhere in the country while traveling on business. Parents and teachers looked at the program and welcomed the message of self-respect and sound decision making. "Bringing someone like A.C. Green in, who is a very well renowned NBA player, has a very strong appeal because obviously high school kids look up to and admire people who have received that kind of fame," says Hurwitz.

A group of parents spent an educational couple hours in a roundtable discussion with A.C. Green, his wife Veronique and OB/GYN Dr. Eric Keroack.

"I think also involving some of our own kids in the skits and with some of the vocabulary around why is it ok to do this [remain abstinent until marriage] and how can I say no, at least affords the kids who've made this decision the opportunity to know that they are not alone. They are very right. There are an awful lot of people talking about who's doing it but the ones who aren't are not talking.

"So anyway, we took a little bit of a chance and it worked out wonderfully. I'm always nervous when you bring 860 kids in one place that they are not necessarily going to be respectful, but today they were very well behaved."

Hurwitz said she has no regrets and would recommend the program to other schools.

After the show, the kids received an imaginative prop in the form of a realistic looking "ATM" card (Abstinence 'til Marriage) with a "wedding day" expiration date. The person who signs the back of the card agrees to the card's "terms," and the fine print warns what can happen in the case of sex outside of marriage.

Leslee Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, tells MassNews that Gerard Health Foundation sponsored the program at several schools but there are also federal dollars available in Massachusetts for schools that are interested.

Unruh says they get positive feedback from the kids who e-mail them through the website listed on the "ATM card" (www.abstinence.net).

Later that day in Boston the Abstinence Clearinghouse held a training session for "decision making" educators interested in abstinence curriculum materials for their schools.

"This program is designed to actually have books go into the schools," says Unruh. "They are offered a curriculum. If they want it they can take it. It's not enough to come in here for an hour and talk. We just planted a seed actually. We need to teach and get kids to understand."

After the teacher session, there was a parent training session scheduled, but an unidentified man stood outside telling parents that the meeting was canceled, according to Wyndham Boston Hotel staff. There was speculation that the man was from a well-known abortion provider that profits from kids having sex and has obstructed the abstinence program in the past.

Nevertheless, the small group of parents that did attend spent an educational couple hours in a roundtable discussion with A.C. Green, his wife Veronique and an OB/GYN from Revere named Eric Keroack, who fascinated the group with a biological discussion about bonding and how sexual stimulation creates drug-like chemical reactions in the brain.

The "Silver Ring Thing," a hi-tech production utilizing skits, videos, music and peer presentations, attracted almost a thousand youths to their show last fall in North Easton and over 600 more to a second presentation this April at Weymouth High School. Parents arranged both shows. They used the school facilities after hours because of the faith-based approach. Enthusiasm for the program is growing. Parents are working behind the scenes to blanket the Boston area with additional shows in the future.

Other abstinence programs, however, have taken place during school hours. "Healthy Futures" conducted its weeklong program in recent months at public high schools in Dorchester, Charlestown and Watertown as well as middle schools in Somerville and Watertown and the parochial Boston Trinity Academy. Follow-up letters from educators indicate high praise for the program's ability to connect with students.

According to "Healthy Futures" Program Director Rebecca Ray, polls and surveys indicate a growing number of young people who wish they had waited to have sex. Schools across the country are recognizing this reality by including abstinence until marriage education in their health, family and consumer sciences and biology courses.

Healthy Futures was developed as 50-minute classroom presentations for five consecutive days and can be tailored to meet the needs of middle or high school students. Sponsored by the Gerard Health Foundation, the program is offered at no cost to schools and meets many of the requirements of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework.

Utilizing interactive skits and demonstrations, the program seeks to empower teens to avoid the social, psychological and health consequences of early sexual activity and provide the skills necessary to attain abstinence before marriage.

Topics covered in the program include achieving goals, healthy relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, media influence, renewed virginity, boundaries and refusal skills. Rebecca Ray can be reached through e-mail at rebecca@awcabstinence.org.