Oral sex to stop teen babies

2003-02-21 23:00

London - School children under 16 are being encouraged to experiment with oral sex as part of a Government-backed drive to cut Britain's sky-high teenage pregnancy rate, newspapers reported on Friday.

The Times said the scheme, pioneered by Exeter University and backed by the Departments of Health and Education, trains teachers to discuss pre-sex "stopping points".

The idea is to reduce promiscuity by encouraging pupils to discover "levels of intimacy", including oral sex, instead of full sexual intercourse.

But family campaigners condemned the course, saying it would only encourage children to experiment with sex.

Robert Whelan, director of the Family Education Trust, told the newspaper: "I don't think that anyone believes that teaching pupils about oral sex will stop them having full sex - it is more likely to make them want to try it and it doesn't protect them against sexually transmitted diseases."

He hoped the new Sexual Offences Bill, now going through the House of Lords, would lead to the course being banned. The legislation would make it illegal to "arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence".

With nearly 39 000 girls under 18 conceiving each year, Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe. The government has set a target of halving levels by 2010.

To help achieve this, in recent years students have been offered condoms, oral contraceptives and easier access to counselors in schools.

- Reuters