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1. We were doing this years ago in Catholic primary schools in NSW and it was a great scheme. Written and run by parents, with organizational help from the Catholic Education Office and the individual schools, the program was directed at the needs of the children and worked very well. The program meant that children were not suddenly faced with, for example, pubertal changes and reproduction before they even knew the names of their own body parts and the relationship between mothers and fathers and children. A lot of this early relationship material is already taught in early primary school anyway. It's very important that sexual reproduction is taught in the context of relationship, not as something completely unrelated. Let's hope the British initiative doesn't fall victim to ignorant and badly informed 'political correctness', as our scheme did.

   Posted By: Joan Seymour

2. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. The Catholic schools I have been involved with as a parent and as a teacher, have all had 'sex education' type programs going back 30 years or more. I taught sex ed. at a Catholic high school, and the program was frank, honest, tackled the tough questions - but within the framework of the Catholic moral context. I don't think as Catholics we can (or do) withhold information about contraception and abortion, but we teach it in a way that explains the Catholic point of view. I guess the greatest challenge we face in Catholic schools is non-Catholic teachers or Catholics who are anti-Catholic-moral-teaching, teaching these courses.
   I think the saddest thing about sex education in the secular/non-religious context, is the emphasis on 'safe sex' and harm minimisation. Children are taught that sex is a fun, slightly naughty thing to do with anyone you like (often for young ones, strongly linked with alcohol)... but it is 'dangerous'... you can get pregnant, get STDs or even AIDS. The perspective is so much from the negative point of view. Love and honouring another person isn't the focus.
   This goes so much against our Christian belief that sex is sacred; something that consummates the love between a committed couple; joyfully remains open to and accepts new life... I suspect this British sex ed. program has been pushed through because they have horrendous statistics for teen pregnancy over there. If Catholic schools are allowed to teach it within the context of Catholic moral teaching, then I can't see it would be a problem.

   Posted By: c.d.

3. Sex education at five? When are we going to let kids be kids.
   There's no way I would allow my child to have been taught sex education at age five or six or seven.
   If it's the state running it, you could bet that every perversion would be taught, including homosexuality (being the norm etc).
   Contraception and abortion will no doubt be at forefornt on the minds of the state.
   Teen pregnancies will also increase, so will the abortion rate and the spread of HIV.
   Isn't this what state intervention is aimed at?
   Tony Zegenhagen
   

   Posted By: Tony Zegenhagen

4. According to Clause 1653 of the Catechism, “The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life that parents hand on to their children by education. Parents are the principal and first educators of their children. In this sense the fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life." However, the provisions of the UK’s Bill of Rights do not guarantee religious freedom. It is clear that the State can over-ride the Church’s teachings whenever it so legislates. This can be taken as an indication of the State-Church conflict that would result in Australia should a charter of rights be implemented.
   As the UK already had in place pre-puberty sex education for children, why does it now need to extend such education to children who have just started school? Unintended, or is it intended, consequences will include access to internet porn and sexual experimentation by children of a much younger age. The age of innocence will be cut short forever.
   It is difficult to see how the new secondary school measures which effectively promote sexual freedom for teenagers, would reduce significantly the high UK teenage pregnancy rates. Rather, the measures can be expected to encourage more promiscuity. Wider use of contraception would not necessarily guarantee lower numbers of pregnancies, because of significant inherent failure rates, e.g. the failure rate for condom use can be as high as 20%.
   

   Posted By: Ray

5. Jesus warns us in the Gospel what fate awaits those who scandalise little children.
   The virtue of innocence is self-evidently not at any premium in the secular world we have to live in.
   It seems that the teachers of young children, in and out of the Catholic education system, are formed by, or at least affected by, the prevailing secular philosophy.

   Posted By: Peter

6. This is rather bemusing. Not six months ago the following story appeared in the papers:
   'Teen baby boom' LONDON: A multi-million-pound initiative to reduce teenage pregnancies in Britain more than doubled the number of girls conceiving.
   "The Government-backed scheme tried to persuade teenage girls not to get pregnant by handing out condoms and teaching them about sex.
   "But research funded by the Department of Health shows young women who attended the program, at a cost of £2500 ($5100) each, were “significantly” more likely to become pregnant than those on other programs not given contraception and sex advice.
   "A total of 16 per cent of those on the Young People’s Development Programme conceived compared with just 6 per cent in other programs."
   [The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia, Thursday, July 9, 2009, p. 24]
   Given the abject failure that initiative was, why would anyone expect the latest initiative to succeed at "reducing teen pregnancy rates"?
   Also (and this might see me denounced as a prude, or worse, but here goes), is it really necessary to accompany such stories with lewd images?
   Reginaldvs Cantvar

   Posted By: Cardinal Pole

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