Maybe the best sex ed comes via honest answers

British health officials are getting a bit of flak for a new sex education pamphlet directed at kids. A hint as to why: It's titled "Pleasure."

Here's the Associated Press story. It states: "The National Health Service in the city of Sheffield produced the booklet, which has a section called 'an orgasm a day' that encourages educators to tell teens about the positive physical and emotional effects of sex and masturbation, which is described as an easy way for people to explore their bodies and feel good."

The Daily Mail story adds this: "Its author, Steve Slack, director of the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health at NHS Sheffield, defended it by saying the advice could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they are sure they will enjoy the experience."

Um, maybe.

But considering the movies and images that teens, and even those much younger, watch and view, it would seem logical to assume that their expectations of enjoyment (whether realistic are not) are fairly high.

Perhaps what they need is honesty.

For that, there's Sex, Etc. The site, billed as "sex education by teens, for teens," is part of the Teen-to-Teen Sexuality Education Project developed by Answer at Rutgers University. No glamor, no expectations, just answers.  

-- Tami Dennis

Comments

[check]

OMG you've got to be kidding me. I can't believe this is how people are spending their time, and money. What a disgusting booklet I hope I never see near me or my child. There is enough trash out there as it is. And this is in the name of the Health Service? Unbelievable. You think this is going to encourage kids to delay losing their virginity? Uh huh. Morons.

[Lee]

I am not surprised that they want to teach kids about this. I am appauled that they are encouraging masterbation. They want kids to think that the act is harmless. Speaking from experance, it is not an innocent practice. Masterbation nearly destroyed my life and was sending me on a path to self destruction and prison. It develops sexual desires early in life that will continue to increase with frequency and intensity until all one thinks about is sex and how to get it. it can lead to molestation and rape, or worse. Thanks to God that He changed my life and I was able to put that part of my life behind me.

lds convert

[The Proper Libertine]

Histrionic much?

Granted, I think the NHS has taken the wrong approach in their pamphlet. I doubt it will be a deterrent to early sexual debut among juveniles. Having studied health education and worked fairly extensively in youth-oriented sex ed, I can say that pragmatic approaches to sex ed are the best. Too much effort is emphasized on love, emotional consequences and religion. All those things are intangible, and are weak deterrents to bad behavior. However if you inform a teen of all the steps necessary to aminatain a healthy sexual relationship, they will either hold off because it's too much work, or at least they'll know what they need to do to not get pregnant or pick up a STD. This advice -- regular testing, monogamy, contraception -- is advice that needs to be applied to adults anyway (too many of you don't lead healthy sex lives!).

As for Lee, you're being terribly histrionic. A **MAJORITY** of people masturbate, and plenty of them aren't in the same trouble you got into. You went wrong somewhere, but I think it's terribly fallacious to blame self-pleasure.