JUST what is it about sex education that sends the country's religious sector to asphyxiate and be jittery about?
Sex education, broadly refers to "education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behavior."
The Department of Education (DepEd) has insisted it will pursue the integration of sex education this year, citing that such will help curb teenage pregnancies and the rise of sexually transmitted diseases.
The program has received opposition from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) saying the integration of sex education in the basic curriculum as it will promote sexual promiscuity among the youth.
In a country with an infant mortality rate of 20.56 deaths per 1,000 live births as of 2009 and maternal deaths of 200 for every 100,000 live births, with seven out of 10 deaths occurring at child birth or within a day after delivery, the lack of sex education comes with a price.
The high rate of infant mortality and maternal deaths related to child birth is not something that can be solved with absolutions and penance.
As of the present, a total of 80 elementary and 79 secondary schools are pilot-tested with the program. DepEd encourages the clergy to visit any of these schools if they find anything disagreeable at all.
Human beings are most often guilty of prejudgment. Indeed, part of humankind's weakness is to develop unfounded biases and deep-seated doubts, especially on issues of morality.
Sex education will not increase sexual promiscuity among youth anymore than their liberal access to pornographic websites will. For the price of P10 per hour, a child can access all the sex videos he wants to watch.
However, sex education in an academic setting, with competent teachers expounding on the dangers of unwanted pregnancies and permissive sexual behavior, is enough to dampen any youthful libido.
Where human lives are at stake, it is immoral to be guided by policies based on prejudices and unfounded truths.