Pro-life revives opposition vs sex education

CEBU, Philippines - The pro-life group, Task Force for Family and Life Visayas, has revived its vehement opposition to the proposed implementation of the integrated sex education program for elementary and high school students this coming school year.

Paul Hubahib of TFFL-Visayas said they are against the implementation of “mandatory sex education” especially to grade five students.

“Dili pa haum ang pagtudlo og sex education sa mga tinun-an sa grade five tungod kay dili pa sila mga matured,” Hubahib said.

Hubahib however said that the program can be part of high school curriculum but teachers should be more careful in the discussion.

Professor Pocholo delos Santos and Pastor Bong delos Santos of Pagpakabana Kapuso agreed that “maturity level” on the part of the students should be considered.

Church and Pro-life groups want sex education to be done not by the schools but by parents because the Catholic Church encourages parental involvement in teaching children about sexuality.

The government was testing the reception of integrating sex education program into the general curriculum. In what the United Nations Fund for Population Activities called a positive step, the integration of sex education would have required teachers to educate about over population and the dangers of pre-marital sex, including “unwanted pregnancies”.

However, the Filipino Bishops have objected that the introduction of sex education into the public schools would encourage teenagers to try premarital sex rather than remain abstinent, and emphasized that sex education is the parents’ responsibility not the governments. On top of it, sex education program teaches the youth the use of artificial contraceptives such as condoms, which violates the Church’s solemn teachings on human sexuality.

Hubahib said that sex education program is “devoid of full disclosure and truth telling” pointing out that the manual fails to inform youth that condoms will not protect them 100 percent of the time against sexually transmitted disease.

“Dili over population ang rason kon nganong kabus ang usa ka nasod sama sa Pilipinas, kon dili lugak lang ang pagpatuman sa mga economic policies sa goberno og kusog usab ang kurapsyon hinungdan nga langay ang paglambo sa nasod,” Hubahib said.

DepEd Secretary Mona Valismo earlier announced her plan to push for the integration of sex education in the curriculum starting this school year.

Valismo said the country needs the program adding that they have already started coordinating with the United Nations Children Fund for the soft implementation of the campaign against sex-related diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

The DepEd has identified Cebu as one of the pilot areas for the program dubbed as “Power of You” along with the 29 schools from the National Capital region, Zamboanga, Davao, Olongapo and Masbate.

Valismo believes that teaching the children about sex education in schools is better than letting them learned anywhere else like the internet. — THE FREEMAN