The Department of Health (DOH) specifically health secretary Esperanza Cabral has been criticized by the Catholic Church and concern parents for the proposal of teaching sex education to High school students. Protests are based on the belief that high school students are too young to learn about sex education. But when is the right time? Since technology has evolve drastically over the years and access to the internet has been a lot easier, a child could easily learn about sex through various website with the acquiring the proper information about the responsibilities and effects of an early pregnancy. But Internet is not the only one to blame. There are shows on TV or magazine of sexually nature widely available.
Soap operas in the local TV networks are not helping either. There are a lot of shows that is about teenagers getting married because of an unwanted pregnancy. Most of the time, the young couple is either both from a well-off family or at least one them is. They don’t really show the reality that not all families are well off. It seems in the end that they will live happily ever after. But that is not always the case. They really don’t show the harsh reality of an early pregnancy.
Personally I have mixed feelings with the new directive of DOH but I think it would be better that a child is inform properly on all aspect of sex rather than learning it from the internet, a TV show or a magazine. I think it is better students learn in school rather having students to discover it through other means. You may argue that it comes down to regulating the access of child to this type of materials but most parents are too busy to watch their kids 24/7.
I understand that church has to object in teaching high school students sex education. It's like saying that it's okay to teach sex education at a young age if they don't protest. A church official said that a lot of teenagers are now having sexual intercourse at a young age. The number will rise if they don't voice out their opposition.
But let's look at the other side of the coin. Most people who usually have more children than they could afford for are those who didn't have the chance to study. Population is growing at a rapid speed that there might come a time that food, water and shelter might not enough for the whole population. There are no benefits if a place is overpopulated. It brings stress to the natural resources. Jobs opportunity is slimmer . Carbon emission is higher because the need for transportation is higher as well.
Population is a big issue and shouldn't be taken lightly. A bigger population would mean more mouths to feed. More jobs are needed. More housing is needed. More people need to travel and more jobs are needed. I know that using contraceptives is against church doctrines. Sex education is also seen as immoral by the church. The church prefers natural means of family planning. But most people are not aware of this method. They don't have the necessary information about family planning. I think it is better to start young. Of course it doesn't mean that schools would teach students on how to have sex but they should teach students the responsibility and effects in having intercourse. If the won't learn it from schools they would learn it somewhere else.
