Response to Evening Mail debate: Majority believe sex education should be compulsory

Sex education is compulsory in schools once pupils are 11 but parents must be notified in advance and have a right to withdraw their children from all of parts of the lessons, which campaigners say undermines their effectiveness, according to a report in today's Times. 

Should sex education be compulsory - even if a child's parents don't want them to receive it?

As of 4pm today, 76% of our voters believed that sex education should be a compulsory subject in schools, whilst 24% didn't think it should be compulsory.

What you thought

Taking a somewhat cynical approach, Brian Greaves, from Dalton, said: "It is another area where the insidious finger of government is poking into our lives and especially the lives of our children. The government is by stealth taking control of our children's lives."

A few readers on Facebook believe parents should be allowed to veto their child taking part in sex education. 

Ken Garratt said: "Some children are not ready when others are some have problems that stop them understanding it fully and trying to teach them about sex education would just be putting ideas in their heads that they don't understand."

Jade Benson agreed: "Some children may find it embarrassing coming from their parents and parents themselves could find it uncomfortable. Children need to be educated on teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases especially that can lead to infertility etc in later life."

But Kathy Bartlett disagrees.

"No, they shouldn't be allowed to veto lessons," she said. "Some parents don't know how to talk to their children about sex.

"Besides this, most sexual abuse happens within families and if no outside agency is allowed to discuss sex and relationships with children, how will abused children know that what's happening to them is not normal?"