Scottish head teachers have been warned not to let a hard-line US Christian sex campaigner speak in their schools, after a pupil required therapy after one of her talks. Pamela Stenzel spoke to nearly 200 pupils form various schools at a seminar at Catholic St Andrew’s Academy in Paisley. However, afterwards, it was found that one pupil was so upset he required extensive support. Critics of Stenzel accuse her of using false information in order to promote her views on pro-abstinence and anti-abortion topics, leaving children intimidated and afraid of sex. Her claims include the fact that condoms are unsafe, and that the Pill leaves women exposed to the risks of infertility and even death. She’s also been known to say ‘No-one has ever had more than one partner and not paid’.
NHS officials state that they have emailed schools to warn them of this woman and the effect she has on children, leaving some ‘utterly traumatised and in need of extensive support’. Sources have claimed that her messages were packed with lies and confusing information, much of which is poor information to give to children who are in the dark about these issues. Sex education is important for children in order to give them a thorough and honest education about sex, relationships and the emotions they will be feeling in the near future. By lying to them and scaring them into abstinence, it’s leaving many children open to confusion and anxiety about the issue – something they will often already be feeling.
Will Harris, a member of the sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, stated that scaring children when it comes to sex won’t stop them having it, it will simply make them less confident about how to do it safely and with the right attitude. Deferring children into waiting for sex is an obviously beneficial message, as many children rush into sex without being emotionally ready for it, but they still need to be educated about it in the right way in order to know what to expect when the time arrives that they feel ready to engage in sexual activity.
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