Sex ed. is more than just abstinence

In his April 18 letter, David E. Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute in Carol Stream, opposes Illinois Senate Bill 1619, a sex education bill that would require schools to teach a comprehensive sex education curriculum and not just abstinence till marriage.

Mr. Smith contends that abstinence is the only dependable approach to safe sex, and therefore we should not teach children other sexual protection techniques that might encourage them to engage in sex before marriage, resulting sometimes in premarital pregnancies and abortions.

Certainly abstinence until marriage is desirable, but the only problem is that it ignores our human nature. Even young children have the sexual urge because that’s just the way we are, and simply teaching them about the desirability of abstinence, and nothing else, is not going to get them to abstain from having sex with classmates they are attracted to.

I think a much wiser approach to sex education for our children is not only to emphasize to them the importance of abstinence, but also to educate them on other techniques that will help them avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies if they do decide to engage in sexual activity.

Accordingly, I would encourage our legislators to vote for SB 1619 because we definitely do need our children to be taught a comprehensive sex education program and not just abstinence only.

Theodore M. Utchen

Wheaton