"It's an assault on our children,"
says Dr Carolyn Barry, a family practitioner from the
small town of New Maryland, NB. What's got her hot under
the collar is the sex ed portion of the new Health Education
Curriculum that has produced a storm of controversy since
it was introduced to New Brunswick middle schools this
past September.
The new curriculum is a comprehensive
approach to sex education and provides teachers with
resource material to enable them to cover any and all
issues related to sexual health and sexual activity
that may arise in classroom discussions — including
oral sex, anal sex and masturbation.
ABSTINENCE
OR BUST
"The materials used are quite graphic," says Dr Barry.
"The curriculum doesn't take into account the nature
of children, but assumes that a child is a sexual being
with sexual needs from birth."
Dr Barry doesn't see this comprehensive
approach to sex education as leading to fewer risky
behaviours among teens. Quite the contrary. "The program
takes for granted that children will have multiple partners,"
she says. Dr Barry also thinks the current practice
of telling adolescents that condoms will protect them
from disease is tantamount to lying. "The human papillomavirus
(HPV) is small enough to go through the pores of a latex
condom," she says, adding that this is serious business
since HPV is highly contagious, causes genital warts
and is linked to cervical cancer.
Dr Barry believes that an abstinence-based
curriculum would be much more effective and less harmful.
"There are some wonderful, well-documented abstinence-based
curriculums out there," she says.
Protestors across the province
agree with her. They've been out picketing and letter
writing — and raising the ire of New Brunswickers
who think that their kids' health depends on a strong
sex education base.
THEY'RE
ALREADY DOING IT
Dr Christine Davies, a family physician from New Brunswick's
largest city, Saint John, agrees that abstinence should
be strongly emphasized in sexual health curriculums,
and students advised to postpone sexual activity. But
she also believes that abstinence-based programs don't
work, and is convinced that the new comprehensive curriculum
is necessary.
"There is good research to show
that young teens exposed to an explicit sexual education
program postpone sexual activity longer and have fewer
unwanted pregnancies," says Dr Davies, who also works
at Saint John's Sexual Health Clinic. "There is evidence
in favour of good quality sex education enhancing teenagers'
ability to make good sexual decisions, to postpone sexual
activity and to use birth control when they do start."
She thinks it's necessary that
curriculum material be as detailed and explicit as possible,
even for kids as young as 10. "I know from my clinical
practice that one of the favourite activities among
11-and-12 year-olds in Saint John when unsupervised
is an oral sex party," says Dr Davies. She adds that
she believes many parents are blissfully unaware of
what some of their children talk about, think about
and do.
In response to protests, the NB
Department of Education is reviewing the curriculum;
they'll make their decision in January.
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