Ontario: Catholic schools will not implement government-mandated sex-ed curriculum

April 22, 2010

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa and an Ottawa Catholic school official said that they will not implement portions of Ontario’s mandatory sex education curriculum. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said on April 21 that the curriculum was mandatory for “all students in publicly funded schools, including Catholic schools,” and Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky said, “This is the Ontario curriculum, and it's the curriculum for all schools and all students.”

“Mr. McGuinty seems to be misinformed here,” said Jan Bentham of the Ottawa Catholic School Board. The education ministry, she said, was “very aware there would be some content we would not be delivering in Catholic schools.”

Urging parents to protest, Archbishop Pendergrast said, “I believe one of the most important things for children in learning about family life and sexuality issues is to have it in the context of a warm family that explains things to them and helps them to deal with that. I think parents are the first teachers of faith and moral issues to children.”

The curriculum teaches that homosexuality and transgenderism are normal and that masturbation is “one way of learning about your body.” Seventh grade teachers are prompted to say:

Engaging in sexual activities like oral sex, vaginal intercourse, and anal intercourse means that you can be infected with an STI. If you do not have sex, you do not need to worry about getting an STI. (By the way, statistics show that young people who delay first intercourse are more likely to use protection when they choose to be sexually active.) If a person is thinking of having sex, what can they do to protect themselves?

Students are to be coached to respond:

They should go to a health clinic or see a nurse or doctor who can provide important information about protection. People who think they will be having sex sometime soon should keep a condom with them so they will have it when they need it. They should also talk with their partner about using a condom before they have sex, so both partners will know a condom will be used. If a partner says they do not want to use a condom, a person should say, ‘I will not have sex without a condom.’ If you do have sex, it is important that you use a condom every time, because condoms help to protect you against STIs, including HIV, and pregnancy.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Catholic leaders criticize new sex-ed curriculum (Ottawa Citizen)
• Mandatory Curriculum for Ontario Schools Promotes Homosexuality, Masturbation (LifeSiteNews.com)
• The Ontario Curriculum: Health and Physical Education