Regarding the Daily 49er Oct. 6 article, “Sex education among young should hit international classroom,” children everywhere need sexual education.
It is ridiculous to deny children the knowledge that they need in order to make good, responsible choices in their lives. We teach them to wear their seatbelts in the car, their helmets when they ride their bikes, and to brush and floss daily, all in the hopes of keeping them as safe as possible.
To teach them nothing but abstinence is irresponsible. Research shows that those who receive proper sexual education delay the “onset of sexual activity,” and whether we choose to believe it or not, our children are going to have sex, eventually.
It is our duty to make sure that they are as prepared as possible, whether it happens at 14 or at 24. It is wrong to use “right-wing” propaganda to keep today’s youth in the dark about what is going on with their bodies.
Whether it is masturbation, abortion, homosexuality or any other topic that is seen as controversial, I commend the United Nations for even discussing the matter. The idea of making sexual education a national standard in education is remarkable, even though I realize that it will probably never come to fruition because premarital sex, teenage pregnancies and back-alley abortions are nothing but urban legends.
Brigitte Gonzalez,
liberal studies major