“If we leave sex education to parents alone, many teenagers will suffer”

No one would argue against the desirability of parents overcoming their embarrassment and talking to their children about sex. And few would suggest that the shortcomings of sex and relationships education (SRE) in schools should be held up as the sole reason for three sisters in the same family becoming mothers so early. However, we need to remember that many parents will have received poor sex education, if any.

Many simply do not feel they have the skills to teach their children about sex and relationships. If we leave it to parents alone, many young people will continue to fall through the net. To get to the root of this issue we need to look at the broader social climate in which young people grow up. First, teenage pregnancy is more common among disadvantaged young people with poor expectations of education or work. As the government’s report on teenage pregnancy said: ‘Put simply, they see no reason not to get pregnant.’

Full article (Oserver Online)