Argumentative Essay on Sex Education

“Semper bonom et moralum”

(An Argumentative Essay on the Issue of the Implementation of Sex Education)

          “The module should be scrapped. It does not have the emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions of human sexuality. This is very important. The code of morality is high. We are not pagans. We would like to pressure everybody indulging in a conjugal act to get married first. (Beatrice, 1994)” These are the very words of Dr. Angelita Aguirre, the head of the Human Life International Group, a non-governmental international organization that seek to have their opinion on the proposal of some lawmakers to implement the teaching of Sex Education in the Philippines. The issue about the implementation of Sex Education can be traced through the proposal of legalizing the RH Bill in our country. Thus, it is one of the proponents of the said bill in which children at their very tender age starting from the elementary level will be taught about the nature of pre-marital sex, the use of contraceptives such as condoms, pills, the cause and effect of abortion, and other sexual issues that tend to be clarified in the basis of controlling the blooming population of the country, and the reality of unwanted pregnancies. In proposing this idea, lawmakers are aware of the issue of morality. However, they believe that, “the issue of morality can be taught separately from sex education. Morality is taught in the Christian Living Education or its equivalent like Values Education” (www.Sex Education in the Philippines_ a Filipina Mom Blogger. htm.). Indeed, they are urging everybody to support the said program because according to them it will really help a lot in lessening some of the major issues of our country that kept on persecuting every Filipino people. On the other side of the issue, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines stands in their principle that Sex Education in schools should be left to parents is true if all parents know how to discuss sex openly. Some might be uneducated to understand the anatomy of reproduction and thus fail to grasp natural birth control methods. “The schools together with the parents can bridge the gap of sex education” (www.cbcp.com.)

           “The dignity of the human person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God. Endowed with a spiritual and immortal soul, intelligence and free will, the human person is ordered to God and called in soul and in body to eternal beatitude” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). Every human person, born or yet to be born, has its own dignity. It means that, every individual is formed according to the image and likeness of God (Imago Dei). By saying this I mean that, every human person has his own moral. Therefore, in my own point of view, morals must always be considered in the integration of sex education in the Philippine Educational context. Thus, I am not in favor in such integration of the study. To put it in a more basic reason, allow me to cite my three points. First and foremost, I will adopt the “Law of Readiness” proposed by Edward Thorndike in the field of Psychology. By law of readiness we mean that “there is a time for everything.” To put it in the context of discussion, children are still children. We cannot deny the fact that most of the children are not that broad minded especially in the elementary level wherein I believe that children will not take it into some serious manner. I believe that at the very tender age of the child, what is in his mind is the act of playing, the act of going to school and going home afterwards, the act of thinking about his favorite cartoon movies and other basic things that a child usually do. I believe that a child will not take it into maturity the nature of studying contraceptives, the issue of pre-marital sex, the realities about abortion, and other sexual issues. Secondly, the implementation of sex education at the very tender age of the child will only corrupt and pollute the mind of the person. It will only create an impression on the child and it will only serve as an issue for them and not as a subject of study. Lastly, the implementation of sex education in the curriculum will only be bound to what we call the “law of effect.” If we really put this issue or concepts in the mind of the child, it will only create some kind of curiosity on their part and that curiosity will somehow turn to an experiment. The child will struggle to know and experience about the inputs that were being put in their mind and eventually will lead to the corruption of their morals and dignity.

          As I end this essay, I will say that, we must always be at the side of what is good and what is moral. “Semper bonom et moralum” (always good and moral). Not all legal is moral.