Chris Brown On Teenage Sex Education And Contraception, Daily Post
NEWS that a 14-year-old girl from Mansfield had been allowed by advisers at her school to have a secret abortion without her mother's knowledge made national headlines last week.
Today the Daily Post has revealed that Condom Solutions, a Cheshire-based company, wants to put condom machines into schools to try to destigmatise contraception for the young.
The idea of schoolchildren having sex is understandably a particularly sensitive one.
Some argue that children will always experiment sexually and it is therefore best to prepare them as much as possible - including practical measures such as increasing the availability of contraception.
But many others would find the idea of having condom machines in schools a step too far, encouraging children into sexual activity before they are ready.
We live in a highly sexualised world. Television, magazines and newspapers all know that sex sells, leading to an environment which can be confusing for youngsters growing up. That is not even to mention the growing influence of the internet.
It can be argued that the classroom is the place where values and morality should be taught and admitting defeat on underage sex is not the way to go.
But sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase once again and it is the school's job to protect their students as best they can.
Shouldn't young people be given the best possible chance to act responsibly and take their own precautions?
The sex education debate has been running for decades and the availability of condoms in schools appears to be the latest chapter in a story which will run and run.
Should schools permit condom machines? Read the Yes and No verdicts and then tell us what you think >>>
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