Brazil's Commitment to Sexual Health

(photo by Andy Caulfield)

The Christ over Rio de Janeiro is showing profoundly more compassion for the people of Brazil than Pope Benedict has of late, but thankfully, the government of Brazil is doing a much better job. Brazil joins other progressive mostly Catholic countries in developing a plan to promote sexual health in its citizens : it has handed out more than 250 million free condoms, and just announced that it will provide birth control at 10,000 pharmacies across the country for only $2.40 a year. It already provides a limited number of free vasectomies, and will be increasing the number substantially as well. The Pope has publically spoken out against the move by Brazil and other countries that are following suit.

As Marty Klein over at Sexual Intelligence notes: "Increased access to contraception invariably enhances everyone's health, lowers infant mortality, increases lifespans, and raises incomes. " It's time for the church to recognize the harm it is inflicting on people's lives with its rigid, outdated and dangerous social policy in regards to sexuality and reproduction.

Brazil has 21.2 million people between 12 and 18 years of age, representing 12.5 percent of its 174 million inhabitants, according to A Voz dos Adolescentes (The Voice of Adolescents), a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Clearly specific strategies need to be adapted to address the needs of this population, and this is an important step in creating a sexually healthy population.

Sex Education for Teachers

Although the clip above is an amusing look at one of the struggles sex educators might have, the reality of many teachers who teach sex ed not being trained (or being uncomfortable with the material) is hugely problematic. Many of the moral wars fought around sexualities education focus on the regulation of language, concepts that speak to generations of controversy, hetero-normacy and social control. In Queens, New York, an administrative rule in place since 1987 banned the words abortion, masturbation, birth control and homosexuality from being discussed in any context in classrooms, and was still in effect up to a few years ago. Concern about the way curriculum is languaged not only originates with parents and moral activists, educators sometimes protest as well. Teachers at an Oshkosh, Wisconsin elementary school in 1994 felt uncomfortable with the prospect of discussing proper genital names with their students. The educators complained to their board, resulting in the words anus, penis, genitals, urethra and vagina being removed from the curriculum. I don't know what they replaced them with, but I'm certain it would make for a very odd sex education.

Most universities do not offer training in how to teach sexualities, leaving many educators in the uncomfortable position of Peggy Hill in this clip. In Quebec Canada, sex education has been removed from the curriculum entirely in a formal context, with the Ministry of Education suggesting it should be infused through the curriculum instead. Except, that it's not happening. Without formal curriculum requirements, most teachers will not opt to teach sex ed. Not only is it uncomfortable, but there is so much we don't know even as adults. Pop quiz: How do you catch (or prevent) Hepatitis "B"? Can you give your partner genital herpes if you have a coldsore? Where exactly is the vas deferens, hmmmmm? Yeah, I thought so. It's not an easy subject to teach. Not only do you have to be up on all the technical aspects, but in order to teach it well, you need to have done some pretty serious reflection on your own sexual biography, fears, interests and desires. And that can be a pretty intense mirror to look into. Giving teachers guidance, training and support is the first step in giving kids a meaningful sex education.