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Sex education - state's role?
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Here's the story, click on it.
Teenage pregnancy? Big problem, isn't it? Requires serious answers, wouldn't you agree? So, what has the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Steve Webb, offered as part of the solution? Why, only that parents should not be allowed to stop them attending sex education lessons. He says "I'm opposed to children being taken out of sex education. We all know parents with whom sex education just isn't going to happen."
Effectively, he's implying that parents cannot be relied on to teach their children about sex. Let's be under no pretences. British parents are awfully shy when it comes to talking to their kids about sex. And that's a reason to let the state take over, isn't it? Typical of Liberal Democrats - when it comes to serious problems, all they have to offer are gimmicks to get headlines in the following day's newspapers. And they accuse Labour of the same thing!
I honestly despair. :banghead:
Teenage pregnancy? Big problem, isn't it? Requires serious answers, wouldn't you agree? So, what has the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Steve Webb, offered as part of the solution? Why, only that parents should not be allowed to stop them attending sex education lessons. He says "I'm opposed to children being taken out of sex education. We all know parents with whom sex education just isn't going to happen."
Effectively, he's implying that parents cannot be relied on to teach their children about sex. Let's be under no pretences. British parents are awfully shy when it comes to talking to their kids about sex. And that's a reason to let the state take over, isn't it? Typical of Liberal Democrats - when it comes to serious problems, all they have to offer are gimmicks to get headlines in the following day's newspapers. And they accuse Labour of the same thing!
I honestly despair. :banghead:
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments
I certainly don't remember being taught anything by my parents.
Some parents don't teach their kids about proper sex ed. Fair enough, no one can fault that line of reasoning, because it's true.
Some parents object strongly to having their kids told about sex for whatever reason (religion or whatever) and want to teach their kids themselves according to their own beliefs. i.e. homosexuality is bad and baby jesus cries when you touch yourself or whatever.
Doesn't seem to me that the two groups of parents would be the same. people.
Nowhere do I see a need for the "state" to force anyone into learning anything if the parents are opposed to it.
What's wrong with that? State power? It's hardly an abuse of state power to educate every child about sex - it's an obligation for any progressive, objective and clear minded society.
I have the opinion that it's a good deal more important than PE (for example). Especially when you consider that pregnancy isn't the only possible effect of unprotected sex.
As much as I'm not really one for too much state intervention, if you have to go to school and learn things, then this is as important as many other subjects.
Although in reality, studies show that societies with a more relaxed attitude to sex eduation have lower teen pregnacy rates...
Careful, or the pages of the Mail will start sticking together.
And lower STI rates. And they lose their virginity later on in life, because they were in an atmosphere where sex was in an open and honest place - not naughty, rebellious and adult.
I don't really know if I agree with this. Sex and relationship ed - they're life skills in how to cultivate a person into an adult with a healthy approach to their lifestyle and giving them enough info to make informed choices - turning it into something which has correct or incorrect answers to get a grade may not be the best approach.
I agree. It's obviously a difficult thing for parents to do if they grew up at a time where it was taboo or just left up to the schools, but I'm sure if there was group work involving parents, and then groups of parents with teenages who aren't their own children, it may produce some good results, at least encouraging a discussion on it
Charities such as TheSite as well as parents, youth groups and family planning clinics are obviously far better qualified on these matters than schools; leave it up to them it’s not the job of schools.
Uhuh, yes it is...Were you going to expand on that?
I don't see the flaw. Whilst it is not true in practice the (intended) sole function of a school is to provide people with an education.
Hmm true. Perhaps 'primary' is a better description than 'sole'. Although I think school's helping to instil the norms/values of society in children is perhaps an almost unintended but fortunate consequence of school's role. My original point still stands though in that I think schools main (okay not sole
Unfortunately, yes
Especially seeing as we had to 'top up' even the most basic sex ed at the last school I was at. A group of girls were taught that they only had to take the oral contraceptive pill on the nights they were sexually active
Yes, should be. Its not though and never has been. The main aim is to instill the ideology of our culture. Schools don't teach learning, a love of knowledge. What they actually do is beat it out of you. Small kids are natuarally fascinated by everything...a few years of schooling soon changes that.
Depends really. Ideally parents should do that sort of thing, but often they don't. Research does show that countries that teach about sex and relationships earlier have less teen pregnancy and STD's etc. So no, schools role is not just about academic teaching and never has been.
Thats fair enough, but 'I honestly believe that having watched that awful excuse for a documentary - 'no sex please, we're teenagers', that teenage pregnancy is more of a class thing. I know very few middle class teenage mums, I'm sorry but its a fact. How many teenage mums do you see a day??
This sounds awful, but I'm just making a point. I think it's to do with the environment you're brought up in, the education you receive and your parents. It can't all be blamed on the teachers surely??! And the education system? If teenagers want to go out and shag eachother at an early age because they're misinformed as to what the consequences are then it is essentially up to the parents to be more involved!
For example, that woman a while ago, who was openly blaming the fact that schools lack adequate sex education for the fact that her three teenage daughters were all mums before the age of 20! Of course not the fact that they might have simply been following the sister's examples??
I have nothing against teenage mums, who want children at a young age, or have found themselves in a situation where they're pregnant and want to keep it. But surely blaming the education system is not really a viable option at all..... ??
I know I'm going to get slated for this...so apologies if anything I've said offends...
There was a study a while ago which suggested that pregnant teenagers from privaleged backgrounds were more likely to abort.
Where I work, we get girls from pretty much all backgrounds, so it's harder for me to pinpoint and say it *is* a class thing (and believe me, I hate the UKs obsession with class). What does frighten me though is seeing year of births such as 1990, 1991 etc
I agree, it is a very generalised statement, but I think it swings that way in the majority. I dislike the preoccupation with class as well, but people insist on using such terms as 'posh' and 'common' for the way that people talk as well as the way they were brought up?!! Its madness.
It's scary to think that there are people out there my age with 5 year olds. A couple of girls in my secondary school have had kids, one of whom started infants this september?!!!!!!!! :shocking:
Yes, a lot of it is a social and class thing. If you don't give working class kids the opportunities, the education, the self worth that middle class kids (mostly) get, then they are going to attempt to find that self worth/validation another way...