Sex education plan opposed

Press, 10 October 1984, Page 21

Sex education plan opposed

PA Wellington The Wellington-based Society for Promotion of Community Standards has written to the Minister of Education opposing the introduction of sex education in intermediate schools. The national secretary of the society, Miss Patricia Bartlett has written to the Minister, Mr Marshall, saying that the society considered parents had the sole right to impart to their own children the intimacies of how life began. “The fact that some parents may not do this does

not give the State the right to usurp parental rights in this matter,” she said. “For centuries, parents have handed on the facts of life, which normally takes about 10 minutes." The society has asked Mr Marshall to clarify several points about the introduction of a sex education pilot scheme next year. It wants to know what qualifications teachers need to conduct the scheme and how schools will go about allowing parents the right to withdraw their children from the scheme.