Controversial Sexuality Education Program Sparks Debate and Concerns

The most worried were waiting for him. The sexuality education program developed by the Higher Program Council (CSP) was published on March 5. A mission which was entrusted to it in June 2023 by the Ministry of National Education following an investigation carried out a few months earlier by the General Inspectorate of Education.

This revealed that less than 15% of students benefited from sex education at school, even though it was made compulsory by a 2001 law from primary to final year, with three sessions per year. In the absence of precise instructions, some educational establishments have in fact shown themselves reluctant to venture into this sensitive area. While others, complying with the exercise, have sometimes become the scene of violent controversies around content deemed inappropriate or ideological.

Composed of 65 pages, the document was designed by around fifteen members of National Education, a sociologist, a nurse and a doctor, under the direction of Mark Sherringham, president of the CSP, after consultation with the Academy of Medicine, representatives of religious and philosophical institutions, teaching unions, and associations with varied profiles, ranging “from SOS Education to Family Planning or LGBT rights defenders”. It will be imposed in all public and private establishments under contract as soon as it is definitively adopted by the Ministry of National Education, probably by the end of the school year.

Concretely, the text sets out a series of general guidelines followed by more detailed recommendations for “procedures and activities” for each level of education.

From kindergarten to CE2, students will benefit from “education for emotional and relational life” to which is added a “sexuality education” from CM1. The editors emphasize the particular attention paid to the “neutrality” of this teaching, respect for the bodily and psychological privacy of students, their differences, their dignity, as well as their pace of development. In this regard, they specify that “if it is a question of transmitting to students on the verge of becoming young adults the essential information relating to sexuality stricto sensu”this education “is not reduced to this dimension of information and prevention: it offers students a progressive path of awareness and culture articulated with a horizon of personal and interpersonal development. »

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Given as a guide from the introduction, “vigilance in relation to all discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation” is recalled throughout the document. Responsible for these education sessions, the teaching staff may be assisted by health professionals and external associations. These will only take place in class in the presence of one or more teachers and after having prepared the sessions in advance with the head of the establishment. They will also have to contribute to this education “without ever exploiting it for the benefit of a militant cause or an ideology”.

Gender theory enters the program

Precautions welcomed by the president of the Ludovine de La Rochère Family Union, also satisfied with the consideration of feelings, the difference between the sexes, the dignity of the human person and the physical and psychological intimacy of children. “Unfortunately, these notions are in contradiction with the more precise content of the program which imposes the question of stereotypes from kindergarten and which is imbued with gender ideology”, she regrets. Olivia Sarton, the scientific director of the Jurists for Children association, is also surprised by the entry of gender theory into this program “while the school is supposed to respect neutrality and this theory is increasingly controversial in medical circles. »

“By having the good and sincere intention of preventing harassment and discrimination, does National Education not risk destabilizing a majority of schoolchildren, middle schoolers and high school students who feel very good in their bodies and for which gender identity remains unquestioned because it is thought of as natural? » asks psychologist Rita de Roucy.

Among the other problems raised: sexuality education considered too early. “To talk about the visible changes during puberty from the age of 9 (CM1) is far too early,” protests Doctor Maurice Berger, who was interviewed by the CSP. We’re going to talk about erection and ejaculation. This does not correspond to the pace of the child’s psycho-affective development. There is a real traumatic risk in anticipating their questions. Our warnings were clearly not heeded. »

Little room for prevention of pornographic risks

Furthermore, while sex education is not supposed to be provided before CM1, students are invited from kindergarten to “identify (from dolls) the intimate parts of the body, name them using spontaneous names to move towards a more scholarly lexicon”. For child psychiatrist Christian Flavigny, “talking about intimacy in a community is contradictory. In addition, the text does not specify at any time whether these sessions will be mixed or not..

We may also be surprised at the little space given to preventing the risks of pornography, the subject of which is only discussed from the 4th grade onwards, whereas at 12 years old, almost a child in three has already been exposed to pornographic content (OpinionWay survey in 2018).

Last point: the absence of reference to the educational primacy of parents, enshrined in the Civil Code. “Their role is only mentioned in a few words, while emotional and sexuality education is above all their responsibility. They are the ones who have parental authority which they delegate, in part, to the school, recalls Ludovine de La Rochère. It must be recognized that when it comes to sexuality education, some people feel helpless, but there are many supports and associations that can help them. » They should also not hesitate to consult the CSP program online. They will be able to judge on the evidence, and if necessary, make their voice heard.

2024-03-12 07:24:02
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