Opposition tears into sex-education strips

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33656, 4 October 1974, Page 2

Opposition tears into sex-education strips

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 3. All members of the Council for Educational Research should be sacked for distributing to schools “lavatory-type cartoon strips advocating the use of contraceptives,” Mr H. J. Walker (Nat., Papanui) said in Parliament today.

Speaking during the debate on the estimates expenditure for the Education Department,, Mr Walker said that he I would condemn as much' as he could the distribution of the strips. Mr J. B. Bolger (Nat.. King; Country) also attacked the' strips, calling them “grubby' little comics.” Mr Bolger said there had' been a lot of “woolly think-' ing” on sex education in I schools, and it was time the

I Minister of Education (Mr Amos) stood up and said 'what he intended to do. Mr C. R. Marshall (Lab., i Wanganui) said that if Opposition speakers were ! opposed to sex, education in schools, they should provide ; a practicable alternative. (“It’s not practical to say all sex education should be in ithe home,” Mr Marshall said. ’“Some parents don’t want that.” REPRINTS Mr Amos said the contraiceptive strips were reprinted Iby the council from a pamphlet put out by the West | | London Family Planning Association, in England. He said the council — an independent statutory body — had private funds for the printing, not Government I funds, and the distribution of the strips was a matter for I its own judgment. Mr R. L. G. Talbot (Nat., South Canterbury) called the controversial contraceptive leaflet “insidious.” “There is great concern in the country over this continued moral liberalism that is going on,” he said. “We don’t want New Zealand turned into another Sweden with this sex liberality that is going on now.” Mr Amos stressed that the pamphlet had been sent “to teachers and to teachers only.” AUTONOMOUS Mr Amos said that he . would be making inquiries about the pamphlet, but reminded Parliament that the ( council was an autonomous : body. Before being called to order by the chairman, Mr J. L. Hunt (Lab., New Lynn), Mr P. Blanchfield (Lab., West : Coast) said Opposition speak- ' ers had an unnatural pre- ■ occupation with the pamph- ’ let. “You could see the gleam ■ in the faces and the lust in their eyes,” he said.

Mr J. R. Harrison (Nat.. Hawke’s Bay) described the pamphlet as pornography, and asked Mr Amos if he approved of it, or if pornography was part of Government policy. Mr J, B. Gordon (Nat., Clutha) described it as highly undesirable literature. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Taiboys) said sex education in schools was not acceptable to some families, and there was confusion over what the Government policy was. The Government’s education record generally was under fire.

, Mr W. L. Young (Nat.,! • Miramar) said the Govern- , ment and the Minister had a : “very poor” record, and that ■ education in New Zealand ■ was a mess. He said the department was caught by inflation of the Government’s making, and funds were not ! available for proper forward 'planning. ’ “The reduction of the class i ratio to 1:20 is praise- : worthy,” Mr Young said, “but. not when you haven’t enough! • |classrooms, and accommoda-j ifion is sub-standard.”