Educate pupils about unprotected sex

GOSH, talk is cheap. I have been writing for years about schoolgirl pregnancies and the need to have classes in the schools to teach these girls and boys about the consequences of unprotected sex.

Here we are years down the track and there is a desperate bid to address the alarming rate of pregnancies among schoolgirls. They are now trying to introduce into the school curriculum Comprehensive Sex Education.

Sadly, this takes note that although a lot of the pregnancies may have been the result of consensual sex, a lot may be because of rape. Can one imagine the distress of a young 14-year-old who has been raped and has to live with this pregnancy?

But where the system falls down is the school nurses and clinics who don’t want to treat these young girls and certainly won’t mention abortion, as it is against their religion.

Even the National Association of School Governing Bodies (NASGB) found the proposals problematic, as the general secretary said the parents support teaching about sex but have a problem talking about termination and contraception. What?

This is a crisis and he doesn’t want to talk about the two topics that should be top of the agenda.

He said if we had power as parents we would say you should only have sex when you are ready.

We do not live in a perfect world and there certainly needs to be more options for these young girls to have counselling on the option of abortion and instruction on contraception thereafter. But having seen programmes on Carte Blanche on the treatment these poor girls get even when they are having their babies at the various clinics, we need a paradigm shift in how we change the status quo.

So not only should there be classes at every school, but clinics and school nurses should be taught about the benefits of contraception and abortion in a world where we are drowning in people.

Once again, the NASGB says there are plenty of opportunities for adoption or foster care rather than abortion. Has the general secretary been to the many centres where these children live who are not adopted?

There are just too many to be adopted or fostered. It is a drain on the economy and there are better ways. But I won’t hold my breath, as have been writing about this forever.