When Sex Education Encourages Women To Have More Babies

by Madison N Nunes

Sex and Society, a European nonprofit group that provides sex education to high school students, has adjusted its curriculum as of late to include not just an emphasis on preventing pregnancy, but also being more positive about pregnancy. And as happy as we are that the shame circulating around unplanned pregnancies is slowly evaporating, we aren’t sure how we feel about all of this being a part of Europe’s less-than-subtle approach to encourage women to have more babies.

Birthrates are getting lower across the pond, probably in part to the region’s financial and economic crisis. No one wants to have a baby if they don’t actually have a job to help provide for it. Security is a basic human need, and the economic situation in both Europe and the U.S. isn’t necessarily providing for millennials these days.

Is it possible that sex education is doing its job too well in Denmark? Marianne Lomholt, the national director of Sex and Society is quoted saying that “Suddenly (they) just thought, maybe (they) should actually also tell them about how to get pregnant.” Several precautionary measures have been taken across Europe to promote child-rearing. Remember when Putin declared 2008 the Year of the Family and created curved park benches that “accidently” slide couples closer together? In Singapore and Denmark companies have been employed to help spread awareness about the “civic duty” that is raising a family.

 

It’s still a woman’s choice to have children and we’re imploring that countries remember this no matter how many ads they create.  Increasing pregnancy positivity in sex education isn’t putting the pressure on yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be soon. We’d hate to see it become an epidemic used to convince women they’re doing their country a disservice by not procreating.

Image c/o Pro-Choice Texas

 

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