VANCOUVER -- Abbotsford, BC's abstinence-based sex-ed program is under
attack from the BC Humanist Association's Ian Bushfield, who said that
abstinence education is making this generation of children afraid of
contraceptives.
Bushfield wrote a letter to BC Education Minister Don
McRae, asking him to investigate the district's curriculum and "ensure
that students are free from religious dogma and proselytizing."
Bushfield thinks students need to be taught more about how to have safe sex.
The
human sexuality curriculum in the Abbotsford district states, "The
focus will be on sexual abstinence, as the Board believes that (is) the
only truly safe way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted
diseases."
It also outlines, "While students will be instructed
about contraceptives, the 'how to' will not be taught in the classroom
setting."
For Bushfield, that isn't enough.
"You know
keeping children ignorant, keeping teenagers ignorant is not a good
recipe for them to make good choices in the future. You know we need to
inform our students," he said.
A spokesman for the minister said
school districts have autonomy over this topic, but if anyone feels a
district's policy contradicts the School Act, they are free to challenge
that in the courts.
District superintendent Kevin Godden has
stated that the school district is constantly reviewing all of its
policies, and that the district's sex education policy is also slated
for re-evaluation and will be shaped by the latest teaching methods and
the education ministry.
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