Pros and Cons - Debbie Newman, Ben Woolgar 2014

Sex education
Section F. Culture, education and sport

It is generally agreed that we are living in an increasingly sexualised society and that children are exposed to the world of sex earlier than ever before. Many countries are seeing increased teenage pregnancy, abortion and STD rates. How should schools respond to this? By teaching more sex education and doing it earlier or by preaching abstinence?

Pros

[1] The increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is due to ignorance about safe sex. In this age, when chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhoea and HIV are being passed on through sex, and only individual responsibility with condoms can prevent it, a full discussion is essential. Sex education must form a significant part of the curriculum.

[2] Sex education can help to prevent teenage pregnancies. Girls can be given information about how to access, and properly use, a range of contraception and about the ’morning after pill’. Both sexes can be educated about condoms. Myths such as ’you can’t get pregnant if it’s your first time’ or ’you can’t get pregnant if you have a bath afterwards’ can be exploded. Teenage pregnancy is a major problem in many countries and schools must play their part in tackling it.

[3] There is also a need to understand sex and its role in society, whether in a stable relationship or outside it, to ensure it is treated responsibly and with respect. Too much distress is caused by sexual encounters where the two partners have different expectations. The media glamorise meaningless sex and yet are appalled by the rise in casual sex and date rape which they play a part in causing. Again, classroom discussion can engender a more responsible attitude among students.

[4] If you leave it to families to discuss sex, you will get widely different results. Some parents may leave it too late and others may not themselves be aware of the changes in contraception and STDs since they were young. Children will end up with a collection of half-facts and misunderstanding gathered from friends and magazines, and will not be equipped to deal responsibly with the choices they will face. Schools can provide a uniform knowledge and it is part of their role to develop young people socially and emotionally as well as academically.

Cons

[1] Yes, awareness of the need for safe sex is important, but teachers are not the right people to raise it. Many countries whose STD and teenage pregnancy rates are soaring do have sex education programmes, so clearly this is not working if so many pupils are still careless. Safe sex (i.e. the use of condoms) is seen as unfashionable, and its espousal by teachers will only confirm that view. It is better to promote it through style magazines, television programmes and other sources that will emphasise how acceptable it is.

[2] The age of consent varies from country to country (in the UK, it is 16) and teaching sex education before that age is essentially asking schools to collude with young people in breaking the law. Sex education actually adds to the sexualisation of childhood. If you show 12 year olds how to put a condom on a test tube, you are sending the message that you are expecting them to be sexually active. This will only lead to more unwanted pregnancies and STDs. It is better to teach abstinence or nothing at all.

[3] School is not an arena in which teenagers take such things seriously. Any discussion of sex in a classroom is likely to lead to ridicule, especially in coeducational classes. Respect for sex can only be encouraged on a one-to-one basis, probably in the family by older siblings or parents. To try to teach it in school can only be detrimental.

[4] Schools are there to help children pass exams and develop their talents. Asking school staff to step into the personal lives of their students is not fair on the teachers who may not want to discuss sex with their pupils, and is particularly not fair on parents who will want to decide how and when their children find out about sex. The ’facts of life’ chat is for families, not the state.

Possible motions

This House would keep the bedroom out of the classroom.

This House would start sex education in primary schools.

This House believes that parents should not be allowed to remove their children from sex education.

Related topics

Censorship by the state

Population control

Co-education

Contraception for under-age girls