Sexual Health and Education Act
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.
 
Category: Education and Creativity
Area of Effect: Educational
Proposed by: Zenatias

Description: The purpose of this act is to ensure that all public school students of specified ages are given access to factual, educational, non-threatening material in regards to sexual education.

ACKNOWLEDGING- That due to certain cultural/religious/personal beliefs, many people encourage "abstinence-only" lessons for minors. However, "Comprehensive" Sex Education has proven to be more effective in terms of reducing the number of teenage pregnancies worldwide, and the spread of sexually-transmitted infections, as well as making minors feel more comfortable and informed about their bodies.

ESTABLISHING- That all public schools include comprehensive Sex Education as part of their course curriculum, for those aged 10 to 18 years old.

CLARIFYING- The aspects of the act

1) The curriculum must give students accurate information on STIs, teen pregnancy, reproductive rights, pubescence, sexuality, gender identity, human anatomy, and methods of birth control. For those between the ages of 10 and 13 years old, only information on pubescence, sexuality, gender identity, and human anatomy are required. For students aged 13 and up, the curriculum must include lessons on STIs, teenage pregnancy, reproductive rights, and birth control as well. Age-appropriateness should be taken into consideration when planning how to approach each topic.

2) Parents may exempt their children from the entire course through contacting the school. Children may be excused from a particular lesson if they find the material to be upsetting, offensive, or distressing. Every effort should be made to accommodate modest children who are embarrassed by course materials, such as not requiring such students to answer a given question out loud. Students excused from the required course will be required to take a standard health course instead. Students asking to be excused from a particular lesson may sit in the hallway outside of the classroom or go to a designated study hall at the discretion of the teacher.

3) This course will not advocate underage sexual activity. Instead, this course will make the children aware of the emotional and physical risks of underage sexuality, and will instruct them how to look out for their best interests. Class materials should be factual, non-threatening, and thorough. However, pornographic content is strictly prohibited; this includes pornographic videos, images, writings, and other visuals.

4) It is not mandatory for private education to systems to offer Sex Education lessons, but encouraged nonetheless.

HEREBY- Establishes mandatory Comprehensive Sexual Education curriculum in public schools worldwide.

Reply

We support a vote AGAINST this resolution for the following reasons:

• The resolution is vague and unclear. It tries to wave away concerns about age-appropriateness in sex education curricula by simply saying "age-appropriateness should be taken into consideration" when implementing them, but leaves unanswered the questions of how exactly age-appropriateness should be taken into consideration, and for what topics. In addition, it states that students attending public school who are not required to take the comprehensive sex education course must take a "standard health course" instead, but the resolution does not explain what that course is or how it should be structured.
  
• The resolution micromanages individual member states to an unacceptable degree. Take the following: "Every effort should be made to accommodate modest children who are embarrassed by course materials, such as not requiring such students to answer a given question out loud." Requirements like that belong in the policy documents for individual schools, not legislation -- of any kind, much less on the international level. In addition, the age ranges for course content are arbitrary.
  
• The resolution is ineffective. Nobody is actually required to attend the course -- both parents and children can opt out -- so what is the point of the World Assembly mandating it be offered?
  

On a more personal/subjective note:

• We don't feel that sex education is an appropriate subject for World Assembly regulation. We believe that national governments are more than capable of dealing with this issue.
  
• We have concerns that this resolution would not permit Catholic states, such as Railana, to teach sex education in public schools in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching on sexual ethics. In particular, the requirements to teach about "gender identity, [...] reproductive rights, and birth control" are vague but potentially problematic.
  

Reply

Sexual Health and Education Act was passed 13,691 votes to 5,624.

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