AIDS lectures in schools

Talking about HIV infection, Roderick Bugeja from the Health Promotion Unit said that he was giving lectures to Church and primary school children "where there is a shortage of PSD teachers" (December 2). Schoolchildren, especially in secondary classes, were being urged to use condoms if they wanted to lead a sexually active lifestyle, he said. Students were urged to follow the ABCD: A for Abstain, Be for Be Faithful, C for Condomise and D for Don't Do Drugs. For the past three years, Church schools have accepted the health authorities sexually educating their students."

This is a serious statement indeed and calls for school authorities, especially where Church schools are concerned, to clarify and to justify their position to the parents of the children being thus lectured. Are the contents of these lectures being given the full blessing of the authorities concerned, especially Church authorities? Are the parents of the children attending these lectures, after being told what the lectures are all about, being asked for their permission in allowing their children to attend? One can recall that in order for certain vaccines to be given, parents are often asked to give their written permission thus allowing their children to be inoculated. If parents disapprove having their children being told, among others, to "condomise" if they want to lead a sexually active life, can they have their children exempted from attending these lectures?

Where Church schools are concerned, this whole matter takes on an even more serious turn. Many parents (not all) send their children to Church schools because they want their offspring to be given a whole understanding of life based on Christian values. Now the Catholic Church is very clear in its teachings that the only safe way of combating AIDS is through chastity and fidelity. If what Mr Bugeja is writing is correct and there is no reason to believe otherwise, it means that in this country there are Catholic schools ignoring Church teachings and children are being told that if they cannot be good they should at least be careful. It is as if the police were to

lecture students and, while discouraging them from ever attempting a house robbery, advise them to have a stand-by car - just in case.

Although there might be parents who do not mind their children being thus lectured, there are others who certainly object to this, especially since they are aware of the undeniable fact that in countries, for example in the UK, where children have been inundated with sex education lectures devoid of Christian values from a very young age and where all kinds of contraceptives are available at the cheapest of prices, the number of teenage pregnancies is at unparalleled levels and the number of sexually transmitted diseases has soared. Above all, there are parents who still believe that Christ's promise that the pure in heart are blessed and shall see God is valid today as ever before and want their children to be taught likewise.