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| Paula Simons |
A columnist for the main daily newspaper in the city of Edmonton (Canada) recently wrote an article decrying a non-denominational Christian pregnancy centre giving presentations in public schools. The columnist is an anti-Christian named Paula Simons.
She wrote with a disparaging tenor about the
Edmonton Pregnancy Care Centre providing sex education classes promoting abstinence in the public school system. I
expected nothing more from Simons.
Her
column was interesting to me for two reasons: 1. As I say, Simons seems to have an
anti-Christian bias which I presumed would come out in her column.
My suspicion was right. 2. In the 1980s, I co-founded the original organization
that became the Edmonton Pregnancy Care Centre. Yes, their foundations are
Christian. At the core of those foundations is the abiding principle that all
human life is sacred and deserves to be treated with dignity as bearers of the
image of God. If that is offensive to Simons, then so be it.
Simons said “the research” shows “teens make wiser
decisions when they are prepared for safe sex ― and when they haven’t made
idealistic plans to abstain until marriage.” All the research shows that?
While I agree that young people need to be equipped
with knowledge about the risks of sex outside marriage, let’s also acknowledge
that in an era of rampant sexually transmitted infections there is no such
thing as “safe” sex only safer sex. As far as “idealistic plans” to abstain from
sex until marriage, I actually believe in having idealistic plans for marriage.
This comes from my own bitter experience. I was sexually active before marriage
and was poorer bringing that baggage into married life.
Sex is the most
intimate expression of love between a husband and wife; the specialness of that
expression is cheapened by giving it away to other people who are not part of
that intimacy. As far as teen pregnancy goes, I also experienced that back in
the early 1970s and successfully pressured my girlfriend to have an abortion. It’s
something I have regretted since then (so has she). Pre-marital sex and teen
pregnancy – and subsequent abortion hurt my marriage. Now as an old man, looking
back after 40 years of marriage, I wish I had an idealized view of marriage as
a young man.
Allowing a Christian-based sex education to be presented
in public schools is the proper approach for a pluralistic society. After all,
Christians make up a significant part of North American society. They should have a right to
have their views represented in the public education system ― not just secular perspectives
― if we really do have a pluralistic society that is accepting of all views.
Simons wrote that “public schools which serve our
diverse community have no business foisting one particular set of religious
values on everyone. …” The Edmonton Pregnancy Care Centre is “foisting” their
views on an unwitting public school? Paula Simons gives Edmonton
Public Schools too little credit and the Edmonton Pregnancy Care Centre too
much.
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| Mark Davis Pickup |
MDP
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