Ruth Institute Blog

by Carolyn Moynihan

This is not exactly family fare but it seems significant that the American Psychological Association is calling attention to the need for “behavioural approaches” along with medical interventions to prevent HIV infection. Read more…

by Mariette Ulrich

This NY Times piece discusses last month’s first-ever Sex Week at Harvard, a student-run program of lectures, displays and conversations about “all things sexual,” including: how to talk to your doctor about sex; careers in sexual health, the ethics of pornography; sex and religion; kinky practices like bondage; how to “talk dirty”; gay and lesbian sex. “After every event, organizers raffled off vibrators.” Read more…

by Louise Kirk

Most sex education fails because it does not prepare children for life. A successful values programme is changing all that.

In 2010 plans were afoot to make sex education compulsory in the UK from the age of five. The policy, strongly supported by the last UK Labour Government, just failed to reach the statute book when a general election was called. The present Coalition Government is under similar pressure to introduce earlier and more prescribed sex education, but decided to consult the public before acting. Read more…

Dr. Michael L. Brown

Caution: Contains descriptions that some may find offensive.

As outrageous as it is to hear about the new sex-ed curriculum for New York City schools, beginning with middle schools, there are some school districts for which the program does not start early enough. And so, in June 2010, the Provincetown, Massachusetts, school board voted unanimously to begin distributing condoms to elementary school children upon the student’s request, beginning in first grade and without parental knowledge or consent. (What possible use could a 6-year-old have for a condom?) Read more…

by Carolyn Moynihan

Canada comes out as the least inhibited country when it comes to sex education, an international survey shows. But even there, the majority of adults think that the job belongs first and foremost to parents.

Two-thirds of Canadians (69 per cent) and Britons (67 per cent) as well as four-in-five Americans (81 per cent) believe the parents or guardians should be primarily responsible for teaching sex education to children and teens. Read more…

by Dr. Michael L. Brown

Caution: Contains descriptions that some may find offensive.

Did you hear about New York City’s comprehensive drug education program for all students in middle school and high school? The teachers inform the students that abstaining from drug use is best, but since it’s impossible to stop them from doing drugs, the teachers give out cards that list the most common drugs, explaining which are the most dangerous. They also distribute needles to kids who are involved in shooting drugs to help them avoid getting contaminated needles, thereby reducing their chances of contracting or passing on communicable diseases. Read more…

by Carolyn Moynihan

The New York Times yesterday published a preview of a weekend magazine article called “Teaching Good Sex” — a long and detailed account of how one teacher, with full support from his elite school, is promoting sexual pleasure as a goal for 17-year-olds and even younger teenagers. Read more…