Discursive Essay Exemplar 3

Should it be compulsory for contraception to be taught to Catholic secondary school children?

I strongly believe that there should be legislation introduced so that all schools which currently do not teach children methods of contraception, should have to do so by law. I have never received any contraceptive information at school, due to the fact that the school I attend is Catholic. This essay is not about rebelling against the Church; it is designed to suggest that the Church's stance on the subject may need to be reviewed. I believe that we cannot in the 1990s, take the attitude that it is ever feasible not to teach our children contraception as part of their sex education. I intend to deal with such matters as the spread of HIV and other STDs, the teenage pregnancy and abortion rates, and the arguments that are put forward by the Catholic Church against teaching children contraception. I feel that this issue is sometimes avoided due to the fact that it may be unfavourably looked upon to question the policies of the Church. I feel that these issues need to be tackled; someone has to speak out and do so loudly, otherwise we have a grave and seriously dangerous future ahead of us in Britain. The simple fact is this : the current sex education that our children receive is inadequate to equip them with the knowledge they require to make conscientious decisions in the 1990s.

The stance of the Church is that birth control by artificial means is completely unacceptable as it
directly prevents life. The official stance of the Catholic Church was outlined by the Pope in 1968
when he delivered the "Humanae Vitae" which stated that contraceptive devices were not to be
used by Catholics. Father John Harden, who is one of the Church's experts in the field of
contraceptive attitudes, states that "there can be no discussion of the morality of contraception
outside marriage." Clearly, this does not reflect what happens in the world, but it raises the issue
and it is not licit to do something evil so that something good might result. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Therefore we can see that the Church sees contraception outside marriage as being unacceptable as it is wrong to have pre-martial sex under any circumstances. The Church also feels that offering contraceptives to teenagers does nothing but diminish any chance that they have of respecting themselves and their bodies in the way that God intended. They feel that contraception in the words of the Pope "lowers morality" and they quite rightly point out that they are not just against "artificial" contraception but all contraception. They argue that the spread of HIV would diminish if sexual relations were kept within marriages, and that contraception drives a wedge between love and the procreation of children. It is a "mortal sin" and they feel that their viewpoint in the 1990s is too often criticised, as they were given the duty of outlining the teachings of the Church under Saint Peter. Experts they argue, can disagree with them as much as they wish to, but they ultimately do not speak with the voice and authority of Christ.
The Church's arguments therefore appear to be solid and sensible. However, I feel that they are
purposeless; that the Church should be modern in its views and help to protect its followers from
harm. Therefore I feel that the first argument to be placed against the stance of the Church is the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

There are thirty million people in the world presently infected with HIV. That number grows by
16,000 each and every day : thirty million! In the UK, a new HIV case is reported every five
hours. This virus breaks down your immune system and leads to AIDS - it is a killer. The really
horrific fact is that nine in ten HIV sufferers do not presently know that they are infected. The
biggest majority of new HIV cases in Britain are in the group of those aged 15-24. Therefore as the young are the most susceptible to catching this virus, surely this strengthens the case for
educating people about safe sex when they are young. Teenagers today are quite disturbingly
referred to as being members of the "AIDS Generation". Globally there is a new person infected
with H1V every 15 seconds. Many believe that by teaching methods of contraception in schools,
this will lead to promoting early sexual activity. However, studies in the United States have
proven that in actual fact, by giving a fully comprehensive sex education to children including
methods of contraception, it has actually led the majority of children to delay embarking on sexual encounters because they know the risks involved. The myth, by some, that HIV is a disease which only affects the gay community is refutable. The fact is that the majority of HIV cases are caused through heterosexual encounters. There are numerous young people now infected with AIDS in the UK - in 1997 the figure stood at over 3,500 under 18 years of age - whom we cannot save and will die. The future now lies in the hands of those who are children now...we have a huge responsibility to be informative, succinct, incisive and organised. Today's youth has a right to know.

The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. Around 4,000 under-age girls have
abortions each year in Britain and half of 16-17 year olds in Britain claim to have used the
morning after pill. These statistics are alarming. The fact that some of these adolescent girls fall
pregnant having had no teaching in methods of contraception is appalling. One thing must be
made clear. I do not agree with under-age sex, therefore I do not mean that by providing
contraceptive education we will solve the problem. What I am pointing out is that if children are
having sex then the least we can do is give them the advice on how to have safe-sex. If one
thirteen or even twelve year old could be prevented from falling pregnant due to proper
contraceptive education, this is reason enough to install it as a compulsory part of the curriculum. Why should an archaic attitude by the Church effect the protection of the young? It shouldn't.

Another argument against contraception is that it interferes with the natural way of life - it is a
barrier to life. Let us look at this argument. The fact is that using a condom helps to preserve the
life of two humans despite their heterogeneous nature. We are not killing any form of life as
abortion does - we are merely preventing it. I view the stance of the Church as hypocritical as if
they really are against abortion and want to save lives, then they should support contraception.
Statistics in America have proven that better contraceptive teaching lowers the rate of abortion.
Even a married couple in the eyes of the Church cannot use contraception - this does not seem
right.

In conclusion I would say that I feel leaving individuals to practice safe-sex by their own learning,
or by simply taking the risk of having unprotected sex is completely immoral and unethical. In a
time when promiscuity is rife and STDs are common; contraception needs to be taught. We live in a world in which children are giving birth to children, people are dying and being infected by
STDs in their thousands every day, and abortions are rife - yet we still believe that teaching
children how to protect themselves is wrong. Christianity should not operate in this way in the
modern world. Therefore despite the arguments of the Church I feel that the evidence
overwhelmingly points to the need to make the teaching of contraception compulsory in Catholic
secondary schools.

Bibliography

Statistics gained from: “AIDS – it’s not over yet” by Craig Donnellan

“Sexual Health” by Craig Donnellan

The Terrance Higgins Trust

The Sunday Times Newspaper

The Humane Vitae by the Pope