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Teenage girls should be given lessons on the benefits of saying no to sex, the Commons has heard.
MPs narrowly approved the bill proposed by Tory Nadine Dorries that would result in classes in abstinence, but only for girls aged 13-16.
The Mid Bedfordshire MP said that secondary school pupils are shown how to put condoms on bananas and how to self-diagnose sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but not taught about the virtues of virginity.
"This is about giving empowerment to young girls," Dorries told MPs.
Introducing her bill under the ten-minute rule motion, she said society is "saturated in sex" pointing to television references to sex, newsagents stocking porn magazines and high-street shops such as Primark selling padded bikinis for young girls.
"The answer to ending our constant struggle with the incredibly high rate of teenage sexual activity and underage pregnancies lies in teaching our girls and boys about the option of abstinence, the ability to 'just say no' as part of their compulsory sex education."
She continued: "We need to let young girls know that to say no to sex when you're under pressure is a cool thing to do. It's as cool as learning how to apply a condom.
"It is as important as all the other issues that they are taught in sex education. It has to be taught alongside everything else so that young girls can say, “I have been told to say no."
But Labour's Chris Bryant described the bill as "the daftest piece of legislation" he had seen brought forward.
The Rhonnda MP who has led a campaign for primary school pupils to have compulsory sex education lessons, said there was no evidence that teaching abstinence would result in fewer pregnancies or STDs.
He said: "For a start, the bill is just about girls. I said that I am not an expert, but it seems axiomatic to me that if we want to tackle teenage pregnancy, we have to talk to the boys and the girls."
"The single most important thing that we can give and child in their education, boy or girl, is the self-confidence to make good decisions for themselves and, when they have made bad decisions, to be able to stand up to the consequences," he added.
MPs voted 67 to 61, with a majority of six in favour of allowing Dorries to bring forward her Bill.
It will receive a second reading on January 20 2012 but is unlikely to become law without government support.
Article Comments
The PSHE Association believes that effective sex and relationships education begins in the early years and should be taught in an age appropriate way developing from discussions around friendships, families and responsive to children's questions about 'where did I come from?' to differences between boys and girls and changes at puberty as well as exploring their relationships and the pressures on them to behave in certain ways as they move into adolescence. In secondary schools young people say they need much more on relationships, and being able to say 'no' is as important for boys as it is girls.
PSHE Association
6th May 2011 at 11:04 am
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