Response to "Sex Education"

Original post can be found here: http://jc-and-pc.blogspot.ca/2012/03/sex-education.html

Jessica's post entitled "Sex Education" dealt with the issue of whether or not to provide sex education to children in schools, and subsequently, what the content should be for that sex education. I believe that the debate is not whether or not there should be sex education, but rather, it is a debate over morality and the direction that our society is going in. I agree with you 100% that schools should begin implementing class discussions geared toward educating students and raising awareness about sex. The problem for me is not with whether or not there should be sex education but at what age? Is the educational system exposing its students too early? If there is an early onset of exposure, does that make children more prone to engage in sexual activity earlier than if they weren't exposed to it at an early age? These are questions that I don't necessarily have an answer for and something that the educational system should consider and has considered. Moreover, is it really up to the educational system to educate children or does sex education fall under the umbrella of parental responsibilities? In my opinion, I feel that the family unit, in addition to serving as an avenue for emotional support and source of attachment, is an influential context wherein a child is able to develop and where family values can shape a child's sexual behaviour. This is not necessarily true for all families and children, and in this case, sex education in schools would be beneficial.

Part of the limitations for implementing sex education in high schools could involve the issue of religion, and how that could limit the content and extent of the education. The Catholic religion preaches abstinence before marriage and according to the ADVERT website, "abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage is the expected standard for all school age children". If this were to be the prevailing approach to sex education then what about students who are not Catholic? Is it fair to impose Catholic values and beliefs on those students who are not Catholic themselves and do not believe in abstinence?        Although valuable, it has been argued that using the abstinence-only message does omit crucial information, which is critical for protecting a teen's health. Safe sex education can be considered a right regardless of religion.