Argument: Ignorance about sex is the primary cause of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

The spread of AIDS in the 80s and 90s showed that education and information is more important than ever as exemplified by the slogan in the British 1980’s advertising campaign to prevent AIDS ‘AIDS: Don’t Die of Ignorance’. The campaigns were credited with credited with changing behaviour through warnings on adverts and informing through an information leaflet. [1] This shows that education can work even when starting from scratch. Giving sex education in schools is crucial to the spread of information to each successive generation, and may be supplemented by frank discussion at home.

[1] Kelly, Jon, ‘HIV/Aids: Why were the campaigns successful in the West?’, BBC News Magazine, 28 November 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15886670

Candidate 1: "To not promote abstinence is not a neutral position, it is a position the implicitly encourages sexual promiscuity. Children are at risk of severe psychological and physical harm from having sex too young, and should be encouraged not to do so. Promoting ‘safe sex’ is implicitly encouraging sex by implying that it is safe and a normal thing to be doing. This will encourage young people to believe that there is no risk when this is not the case even if they do follow the prescriptions they have been taught about sex."
Candidate 2: "True, but nor does it make sense to make the classes mandatory once the child reaches an age where it is legally able to decide whether it wants to partake of them. Nor does this mean that these classes need to be promoting safe sex rather than simply teaching the facts and encouraging abstinence."
Candidate 3: "While a serious disease, AIDS transmission makes up only a tiny proportion of sexually transmitted infections each year. [1]

Firstly the harm of these infections has always been satisfactorily low before public Sex Education, and secondly even if mandatory public education did have a substantive benefit it would not outweigh the infringement on the moral freedom of the parents.

[1] Health Protection Agency, STI Annual Data Tables http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&amp;Page&amp;HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1201094610372"
Candidate 4: "The problem with mandatory sex education is precisely that it presents that information in an organised fashion – by the state. In doing so the right of the parents to raise their children in accordance with their structure of beliefs is usurped."

While a serious disease, AIDS transmission makes up only a tiny proportion of sexually transmitted infections each year. [1]

Firstly the harm of these infections has always been satisfactorily low before public Sex Education, and secondly even if mandatory public education did have a substantive benefit it would not outweigh the infringement on the moral freedom of the parents.

[1] Health Protection Agency, STI Annual Data Tables http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&amp;Page&amp;HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1201094610372
