Ms Chee Laughs @ Papaya Over Sex Education

[makapaaa]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Without sexuality education, how will teens get accurate info on sex diseases?
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Wednesday's article, 'Get facts right on sex education: Iswaran'.
It is a laudable move by the Ministry of Education, as well as external agencies like Aware, to run programmes on sexuality education. Sexuality education is important for teens. Parents usually do not have time to broach such topics with their children.
The onus therefore falls on schools. I am glad that schools now teach such topics during civic and moral education periods and engage external agencies to conduct talks and programmes to enlighten teens. Without such programmes, how will teens gather accurate information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?
Teens need to know the facts about STIs. Some, like Aids/HIV and herpes, are incurable. Some are curable but chances of recurrence are high. After one moment of folly, it can be a lifetime of agony. Hence teens need to be enlightened and warned of such diseases. They must learn to protect themselves.
They must also learn to say no, and acquire skills such as decision-making and resisting negative peer pressure. Teen pregnancy and abortion are real problems that need to be addressed and not swept under the carpet.
More can be done to educate the young. Schools must treat sex education seriously and all students should take a few modules conducted by schools or external agencies. As a teen myself, I find talks on body image, self-esteem and eating disorders very relevant. I hope such workshops are run in every school.
Sexual education is an important part of the school programme and a must in the holistic development of students. Chee Li Min (Miss)

 

[makapaaa]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Educating children about homosexuality is different from promoting it
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->WHEN I was at the extraordinary general meeting of the Association of Women for Action and Research on Saturday, I was astounded by the sheer passion of the women and men there. However, the arguments against the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme revealed a critical misconception.
Educating people about sexuality, including homosexuality, is not the same as promoting homosexuality. The first educates people about homosexuality and safe sex, providing beneficial protective knowledge. The second tries to encourage homosexuality as a lifestyle, regardless of one's innate sexual preference: a harmful enterprise. The two are categorically different and must not be confused.
CSE is like teaching a child how to use a knife safely. Regardless of what he is taught, the child will encounter knives at some time. A wrongly educated child is more likely to hurt himself with the knife than one properly instructed. In terms of sex life, that one cut can mean death or a lifetime on medication.
The threat of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, cannot be underestimated, and CSE is one of the most effective tools to protect children, regardless of their sexuality. It equips them with the knowledge to make informed decisions about sex, to better understand why others may have different sexual preferences and why the sexual preferences of others cannot be forced on them. Parental supervision can reinforce this education.
Without CSE, children will be vulnerable to misinformation from sources like uninformed peers, future sexual partners or Internet sources. For the protection of future generations, CSE must continue with the full support of parents.
Nickole Li (Ms) <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start -->

 

[makapaaa]

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Remark by pastor cause for concern, notwithstanding apology
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's article, 'Pastor regrets 'actions on pulpit' '. Now that the Aware EGM is over and a new executive committee is elected, it is time to move on and start to see how this civil group can work towards what it stands for, with a clear mandate by members, new or otherwise.
However, the remark by senior pastor Derek Hong of the Church of Our Saviour is a cause for concern. He said: 'I regret that this matter has caused concern and unhappiness. My actions on the pulpit have aroused some tension in this saga. I now stand corrected.'
I cannot help but to feel that the pastor does not feel remorseful about what he mentioned in an earlier article, when he said: 'It's not a crusade against the people but there's a line that God has drawn for us, and we don't want our nation crossing that line.'
Pastor Hong spoke about his 'regret' only after the stance by National Council of Churches of Singapore president, Archbishop John Chew, with affirmation from Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, who reiterated that there is a need for tolerance and restraint by all religious groups.
Pastor Hong should understand that, as a pastor with authority, what he said would influence not only his congregation but also other people, and that religion should not have a place in this saga. The remarks were very polarising. He has to be sensitive to the fact that religious harmony is not a given, it exists in Singapore because of the mutual tolerance of religious communities and the strong advocacy of the Government, and therefore cannot be taken for granted.
If Pastor Hong is truly regretful, a simple phrase of 'I am sorry I made those remarks' would have been much more humble than 'I stand corrected', as remarks that cause religious disharmony can have far-reaching and dire consequences.
It would do great disservice to Christianity if laymen start to perceive negatively that Christianity is an imposing, opinionated and uncompassionate religion, when it teaches, love, kindness and mercy.
Lee Swee Mei (Miss)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Lee-Swee-Mei/723088160
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