Sex ed debate continues SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 06/09/2010

Sex ed debate continues

SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 06/09/2010 With the school opening almost upon us, the debate continues to rage about that age-old question: Should sex education be taught in schools? One online debate yielded an overwhelming “yes” with 81 percent. An advocate of this school of thought said, “Should teens have sex education in schools? Absolutely. While part of me would like to say that it’s the responsibility of the parents, it isn’t — not fully. Many parents aren’t equipped...,” Jessalyn Pinneo says. At the opposing end, one Alycia Morales wrote, “Sex education is something that should be taught at home, not in a public school system. If you want to teach human anatomy, teach it in biology class, but don’t call it sex education.” More than 20 years ago, high school kids of my generation used to giggle and blush at the mere mention of body parts. Girls who were open to casual relationships then were the rarity rather than the norm. Boys could woo their sweethearts all they wanted, but sex belonged in a world we dared not trod. I also remember, however, that my parents, though doctors, did not sit us down to discuss the birds and the bees. I used to believe they were too busy, but now I think they weren’t comfortable talking about it. I don’t remember how it happened, but suddenly I had a set of pamphlets by my bedside, which, of course, I read in between my fiction binges. I chanced upon a word that had something to do with sexuality, and when I asked my mom about it, she became quite busy fixing the curtains and inching out of the room.  I’m not sure, but if they had explained those things to me then, would I have had the maturity or wisdom to handle the matter with more werewithal? Stuff we learned in biology class and that silly excuse of a health class (which was supposed to teach sex education, I think, under the nuns’ beady eyes) have little to do with the issues the youth today face that necessitates a sex education subject.  The world is different now, just as our parents must have thought then when we were kids. Not much has changed, however, in the general feeling of “taboo” when it comes to the subject of sex, especially when it is suggested that it be discussed with children.... MORE     Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100609com7.html

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