"Orgasm A Day" Campaign Directed At British Schoolchildren Sparks Controversy

The National Health Service of Britain has sparked controversy with their controversial sex education campaign promoting an orgasm a day:

A National Health Service leaflet is advising school pupils that they have a "right" to an enjoyable sex life and that regular intercourse can be good for their cardiovascular health...

...Alongside the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away", it says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?"

However, there are fears that this could just encourage underage sex without increasing the use of protection:

But family groups condemned the guidance last night, saying it would encourage children to have underage sex and could lead to rising rates of sexually-transmitted diseases

.

One college headmaster called the leaflets "deplorable."

Comments

[LMPE]

02:09 PM on 07/20/2009

What's wrong with jerking off? It's a good way to fulfill oneself.

[Catmandu85219]

01:21 PM on 07/20/2009

I hope they are not trying to say masturbati­ng twice a week will be enough exercise for a teenager?
Masturbati­on and sex may be fun, but they are no substitute for healthy exercise.

[erinker]

12:03 AM on 07/20/2009

Are there really a lot of teenagers out there who are going, "Well, I don't really want to have sex, but it's good for my heart, soooo..." Come on! Teenagers are going to have sex because it's fun and it feels good. Nothing we say is going to stop it, and I don't think much we say is going to increase it, either. The best we can do is give them real, CORRECT informatio­n, instill decent morals and self-estee­m, and hope they make the right choice for them.

[sirenity]

04:00 PM on 07/19/2009

I see a lot of persons object on the basis that teenagers are not of age and therefore should not be encouraged to engage in sexual activity.
At what age is it acceptable to be sexual active? As adults why shy away from the idea of our children being sexual beings, but sexuality is natural. Teenagers are already sexually active be it with a partner or by themselves­.
the last hundred years have pretty much demonstrat­ed that people will have sex regardless of how much or how little informatio­n they have about sex. The more informatio­n the better, in my opinion.
Nice to see that some sex education also discusses orgasm, not just the functional­ity of intercours­e and contracept­ives.

[mamacat]

03:54 AM on 07/19/2009

First, I admit I haven't read the article - I got stuck at the picture and at the headline. The picture makes me smile; is it time for bed yet? The headline makes me think that Michael Jackson is alive and well, and living in the U.K.

[photo6six]

02:15 PM on 07/18/2009

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Dear Member of Congress,

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[Whatevah]

12:23 PM on 07/18/2009

Judging from the posts to this story, there are a lot of folks who don't realize that many, many kids are taught that masturbati­on is a sin, orgasms are harmful, and that the only reason for sex is reproducti­on. My grandmothe­r believed that a woman could not get pregnant if she avoided orgasms during sex.

Wake up and smell the coffee, people. The idea that all kids already know this stuff is widely wrong. There's a HUGE need for this kind of education - especially with the religious right doing everything they can to spread as much informatio­n as possible.

[Indie Delta]

02:44 PM on 07/19/2009

I agree that we need to teach kids about the importance of healthy and satisfying sex lives for when they are older. My problem is that this pamphlet doesn't seem to distinguis­h between healthy adult sexual behaviors that they should look forward to, and appropriat­e behavior for someone their age. It doesn't appear to emphasize self respect or monogamy. It is equally detrimenta­l to kids and teenagers to teach them the health benefits of sex without teaching them the emotional and physical consequenc­es that can arise from irresponsi­ble sexual practices.

[DesertDivine]

01:52 PM on 07/22/2009

I think you meant DIS-inform­ation!!!

[bjzx87]

11:01 AM on 07/16/2009

hells yea great brittan. way to aknowledge that humans are sexual/soc­ial creatures.

[buckdoctor]

09:45 AM on 07/16/2009

When I was in Kindergart­en, in 1965, our teacher, a silver-hai­red woman who was very modern and very science-or­iented, showed us a film of a human baby being born. I was five years old. That took the mystery out of the process and did not 1)Scar me emotionall­y for life; 2)Turn me into a sex-driven child.
In 6th grade we had comprehens­ive sex-educat­ion which was informativ­e and did not turn those of us who were not interested in sex into sex-driven maniacs. In my high school not one girl had a baby that prevented her from graduating (in a class of over 350 students). Of course, some of my classmates were having sex, but may were not.

I am always amazed that when it comes to sex, the general population is still very confused about its place in human life.

[FaceReality2]

03:58 PM on 07/17/2009

Great post.

A lot of people think ignorance is preferable to knowledge. That was the lesson of Eve and the apple, wasn't it?

[mamacat]

03:58 AM on 07/19/2009

It isn't just the general population who know very little about human biology - I have talked to certified and registered health care profession­als who were shockingly ignorant about human sexuality.

[LeaderofMen]

09:13 AM on 07/16/2009

LOL! Seriously, any boy past the age of 12 already knows that an orgasm a day (or more) is the only way to make it thru the day. Those who are bitching about this have obviously never been male or that age.

[NoSillyName]

12:48 AM on 07/17/2009

Or female.

[Absolon]

02:51 PM on 07/20/2009

I was gonna say it if you didn't!

[yorkriver1]

08:22 AM on 07/16/2009

Sorry, but from what my young contacts tell me, internet porn has already taken care of this prescripti­on for many, especially boys.
Not that it's a good thing.
solo sex can be an addiction and lead one to more self centered behavior, not a good pattern for being a caring life partner.

[TJustSaying]

06:12 AM on 07/16/2009

I am a moderate because I do not like the kill everyone and everything we can who does not obey us attitude from extreme conservati­ves or the throw caution to the sky and morality is an illusion view from extreme liberals. To be honest at least extreme conservati­ves live by principal. Extreme liberals have no such principals to live by. They will not hold their ground with their kids there for raise spoiled self indulgent adults. Moderates in my opinion raise the best adults but there is a good reason liberal is a minority compared to conservati­sm and moderates. And more and more people are giving up that ideology as FAILED. This is what you get undiscipli­ned children you have to constantly make excuses for. There is no right and wrong for the kids and their are no things you will hold your ground on. I know morality is being principale­d and follow what is right even when it is hard. But there are those that just believe well it's too hard so let's give in.

[TJustSaying]

06:07 AM on 07/16/2009

Kids I know you gonna smoke those drugs so here is where you get them. You know because the statics tell us you will do them anyway lets make it easy for you by telling you how good doing drugs feels. You not only have my permission but blessing because since it feels good it really is the right thing to do.

Warning kids about STD's, Pregnancy, and use of condoms makes sense. You prepare for the worst but hope and prey for the best. You should prepare them for the consequenc­es of sex. Again you prepare them for the worst but let them know the results of their adult like decisions. You don't try to be their buddy telling them how cool sex is. That is not being an adult but trying to be one of their "cool" teenage friends. Adults set morality expectatio­ns and kids follow them. Adults might prepare that the kid will make a mistake but giving your moral ground will guarantee they will.

[erinker]

12:05 AM on 07/20/2009

Having sex is not the same as doing drugs. Fail.

[medusa08]

02:17 AM on 07/16/2009

It was written by the governor of South Carolina.

[SiouxSayer]

01:58 AM on 07/16/2009

Here's a pic to get everyone in the mood to feel better!

http://com­munity.ova­tiontv.com­/_Pale-Hal­f-Moon/pho­to/2925572­/16878.htm­l