Sexuality education

This letter was sent to ST Forum but was not published.

I refer to Ms Angeline Wong Hui Wei's letter ("Based Sexuality Education on facts, not opinions",http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/base-sexuality-education-facts-not-opinion-20150225 25 Feb)

Sexuality education is a process of acquiring knowledge and skills, and forming attitudes, beliefs and values with regard to human sexuality.

The MOE Sexuality Education helps students understand the physiological, social and emotional changes they experience as they mature, develop healthy and rewarding relationships, and make wise, informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters. Sexuality Education covers the following dimensions of a person’s sexuality:

• Physical: Physical sexual maturation and intimacy, the physiology of sex and human reproduction;
• Emotional: Sexual attitudes and feelings towards self and others;
• Social: Sexual norms and behaviour and their legal, cultural and societal implications; and
• Ethical: Values and moral systems related to sexuality.

Issues of sexuality would involve value judgments. Parents as the primary care-givers, are responsible for the health and moral values of their children.
The adjective 'moral' is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour.

Under the Singapore Law, it is illegal to have sex with a person under the age of 16 with or without the minor’s consent. Sex with a person below 16 is called “Statutory Penetration of a Minor Under 16″, S376A, Penal Code. If the minor is a girl below 14, the offence is called statutory rape.

Is it morally right to engage in underage sex when there is a law in place to protect our young?

What is wrong with delayed sexual activity before marriage? Our children and youth grow up in a rapidly changing world where globalisation and technological advancements expose them to a wide range of influences from around the world. Sexuality education helps them to be equipped to protect themselves from sexual advances and abuse, and avoid sexual experimentation and activities that lead to problems related to teenage pregnancies and STIs/HIV. 

Ms Wong has shared her personal opinions advocating for underage sex, preferred use of contraceptives rather than abstinence and her interpretation of morality which does not help our young to consider the dire consequences of underage sex.
As she has shown in her opinions, no one person can be void of opinions when implementing sexuality education simply because we are humans. As such, vendors affliated to any faith or not is irrelevant as long as they adhere to these conditions:

• External provider’s philosophy is aligned to MOE’s stand and policies on Sexuality Education.
• External provider does not preach their or any religious stand in the sexuality education programmes that they conduct.