Channel 4 sex-ed programme withdrawn

Thanks be to God, the Channel 4 "Living and Growing" sex education programme has been withdrawn from sale, as the Daily Mail reports. Unfortunately the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb has left the door open for the programme to be slightly sanitised rather than axed completely. Apparently he has asked for the more explicit scenes to be cut - presumably the same programme with the same corrupting ethos will then be allowed into schools again.

It is interesting that it was parents who prompted this long-overdue action. At one London school, a third of parents planned to withdraw their children from the sex-ed classes and handed out leaflets at the school gates while wearing T-shirts reading Too Much Too Young. Note that these are parents at a non-Catholic school.

I was shocked to hear the other day of yet another Catholic school that was planning to use this dreadful programme which has been repeatedly exposed in the secular press. See for example:

Sex-ed: pouring petrol on the fire (18 July 2006)
Sex-ed programme slammed by Daily Mail (1 March 2007)
Mother's shock at Channel 4 sex-ed programme (10 March 2010)
Sex-ed: getting the information out there

The Channel 4 programme should not be allowed anywhere near any school, let alone a Catholic school. The idea of cutting out some of the worst bits is ludicrous. At a Catholic school, parents have the right to expect that children will be taught the virtue of chastity, the value of marriage and the sanctity of human life. Two resources that are suitable for Catholic schools (as mentioned here on several occasions) are: Alive to the World, a PSHE programme covering several years, and This is my body which is particularly for children in Year 6. There is really no excuse for Catholic schools using amoral or immoral programmes.

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