by Leslie Malek, Heartbeat International Editor

Human dignity and sexual wholeness are intimately linked. Today, the dignity of women is under heavy attack worldwide, especially when it comes to children and sexuality. Unfortunately, TV, movies, and music often portray a warped view of love, romance, and sexuality that robs women of dignity.

Decades ago, Peggy Hartshorn, Heartbeat International® President with over 40 years of experience helping pregnant women choose life, recognized that our highly sexualized culture leads women into a lifestyle of life-and-death choices. That recognition drove Peggy on a search to understand the cause and find a cure.

Disinformation about fertility, overpopulation, and sexuality, combined with lack of support for pregnancy and family, are prime factors in this crisis. In fact and contrary to media and “scientific” spin promoted by “overpopulation gurus,” declining birthrates and a warped view of love are now deeply embedded in cultures everywhere. This further contributes to the decline in families and devaluation of children and women.

Says Peggy, “For a culture to value women, children and families, women have to value their gift of fertility and their nurturing natures. The roles of wife and mother are intimately linked with womanhood just as the role of husband and father are intimately linked with manhood.”

Peggy is convinced that sexual wholeness is an important part of the cure in the process of reclaiming the dignity of women. The cure has a name: Heartbeat’s Sexual Integrity™ Program (SIP), a tool that affiliates can use to help the women who come into pregnancy help centers. This program helps women find new dignity in themselves by understanding God's plan for sexuality and fertility.

The Sexual Integrity Program draws inspiration from the “Theology of the Body,” Pope John Paul II's integrated vision of the human person, body, soul, and spirit. According to John Paul II, the physical human body has a specific meaning that answers fundamental questions about us and our lives.

The Sexual Integrity Program has become one of Heartbeat's most popular offerings. For details on the Sexual Integrity program, click here.

The dignity of women and Sexual Integrity

The need has never been greater for renewed efforts to restore the dignity of women. Organizations like Planned Parenthood, the most lucrative abortion provider in the United States, target students, young adults, and even children with campaigns designed to "liberate" young people sexually. Planned Parenthood even launched a Valentine's Day campaign proclaiming "National Condom Week." The campaign encourages youths to be sexually promiscuous and use "safe sex," a blatant contradiction of terms!

The HHS (U. S. Health and Human Services) mandate is another far-reaching assault on the dignity of women through the sexploitation of "healthcare." Bureaucrats have declared that pregnancy is a treatable disease that government must combat through preventive “healthcare.” Tragically, the HHS mandate actually undermines healthcare reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats. This mandate further institutionalizes, at the highest level of government and alongside abortion, the cultural attack on women.

Campaigns like this degrade the dignity of women and men, young and old. Instead of liberation, the people who fall into the trap of sexploitation find themselves emotionally wounded and sexually broken.  They also become highly vulnerable to contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Heartbeat's SIP helps women learn how to respect their own body, know the ingredients for a healthy relationship, become sexually whole, and gain deeper understanding of the value of human life.

Through SIP, Heartbeat affiliated centers empower women by sharing the truth about who God created them to be. Centers also introduce women to the dignity of sexual wholeness with its freedom and peace.

Based on biblical principles found in the book of Genesis, The Sexual Integrity Program (SIP) also draws inspiration from on The Theology of the Body and Pope John Paul II's Encyclical, Humanae Vitae.

SIP, designed for use inside the pregnancy help center, teaches women how to walk in sexual wholeness in all areas of their life – physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual.

Four Biblical Pillars form the foundation of the program.

• Pillar One: A Focus on Relationships (Genesis 1:27)
• Pillar Two: A Focus on Marriage (Genesis 2:24)
• Pillar Three: A Focus on Fertility (Genesis 1:28)
• Pillar Four: A Focus on Wholeness (Genesis 2:25)

Centers that offer SIP have more effective client outcomes. The ability to continue building the relationship with clients week after week by offering them a new way of living leads to a reduction in the number of return pregnancy tests visits per client.

Women who learn about sexual wholeness feel empowered. They have the new knowledge that helps them make healthier choices with their bodies, reducing sexual activity outside of marriage.

Other outcomes that centers see when the use SIP include Evangelization opportunities that increase as centers spend more time with clients sharing God’s blueprint for sexual integrity. The center’s reputation is enhanced as a provider of more complete reproductive health education. Volunteers become more knowledgeable on the major topics related to sexual activity, and, therefore, more confident in their interaction with all clients.

Learn more about what The Sexual Integrity Program can offer your center.

Education that teaches young women the truth about their bodies so they are empowered to reverence and respect their body.

The Sexual Integrity™ Program (SIP) includes a variety of resources to be used from the very first meeting through additional interactions. The materials have all been designed, produced or chosen to support the four foundational Biblical Pillars:

SIP Biblical Pillars:

The Sexual Integrity Program Essentials 

Product code: 10SIPESS1.0
Price: $50 ($40 for Heartbeat Affiliates)

The Sexual Integrity™ Essentials Manual includes:

-The philosophy and methodology of the program.

-The procedures to use with both positive and negative test clients.

-Forms, charts and special relationship assessment tools to use with clients.

-An overview of additional resources for you to consider and some guidelines to use when selecting additional resources.

The Sexual Integrity Program Fertility Education Manual

Product code: SIP2-0
Price: $75 ($60 for Heartbeat Affiliates)

The Fertility Education Manual includes:

-An enlightening look at the relevant issue of fertility education (this is not natural family planning)

-A historical review of alternatives to true reproductive health (like Planned Parenthood).

-Brochures, articles, booklets, and websites to enhance your understanding of fertility education.

-Steps for implementing this powerful program in your center.

Focus on Fertility (DVD with workbook for clients with Leader's Guide)

Product code: SIP9-2
Price: $75 ($60 for Heartbeat affiliates)

-A four-part DVD series for clients, Focus on Fertility, with Emily Sederstrand, certified fertility educator and Kathleen McGee. This series teaches women the truth of how their bodies work and how to protect this gift of fertility so that they are empowered to reverence and respect their bodies. This series does not teach natural family planning. A complimentary reproducible workbook is included for clients.

Other DVD Learning Systems

A three-part DVD staff training series, Focus on Fertility Training Series, with Katy Flood, Heartbeat International’s Sexual Integrity™ Program Consultant and Kathleen McGee, Fertility Educator at Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. This series is designed to equip pregnancy center staff and volunteers in understanding the need to offer the powerful tool of teaching women how their bodies work.

A ten-part DVD series, Steps To Sexual Health, with Douglas Weiss, Ph.D., a leading expert on sexual brokenness, trauma, and abuse. A great series to use with clients who are making poor sexual choices. It includes a complimentary reproducible workbook for your client as she goes through counseling-like sessions. Perfect for one-on-one meetings or in a small group.

A seven-part DVD series, The Blueprint for Sexual Integrity™: God's Design for Life, Love and Legacy, with Carrie Abbott from the Legacy Institute. This Biblical series is the positive foundation for the Sexual Integrity™ Program. The series includes a complimentary reproducible client workbook. This amazing program will change your clients’ lives. It can be used in the center one-on-one, in small groups, in large groups, or at a retreat.