Nadine Dorries and sex education lessons for girls
The Conservative MP said her 10-minute bill was 'about giving empowerment to young girls'. It is nothing of the sort
From The Guardian UK: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/may/04/nadine-dorries-sex-education-lessonsguardian.co.uk, Wednesday 4 May 2011
Nadine Dorries wants more sex education for girls, but her own understanding seems a little limited. The Conservative MP has won support from parliament for more abstinence lessons for girls. Yes, just girls, who manage to produce Britain's high teenage pregnancy rate all on their own. There's a confusing sex education lesson right there.
Dorries said her 10-minute bill was "about giving empowerment to young girls". It is nothing of the sort. It is an atavistic move that in effect blames weak-willed, ill-educated teenage girls for many of society's ills. If they could just learn to say no, this former nurse believes we could see an end to too much sex on the telly, porn magazines in newspaper shops and padded bikinis for seven-year-olds as well as the highest teenage pregnancy rates outside America.
"Society is focused on sex. Teaching a child at the age of seven to apply a condom on a banana is almost saying: now go and try this for yourself," she said.
It is hard not to agree with Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who called her bill "the daftest piece of legislation I have seen brought forward". Within minutes of the vote, in which just 67 MPs trumped the 61 MPs against the bill, the Twittersphere had set up a #dorries hashtag in which the controversy-courting MP was accused of being anti-women, among other things.
It's fair to say she has form on this: she has criticised David Cameron's proposal to create all-women shortlists for prospective MPs, tried to ban women wearing high heels at work as the resulting pain made them take time off work, and tried to reduce the point at which an abortion can take place from 24 to 21 weeks. She is still keen to table an amendment insisting on compulsory counselling for women who want abortions, arguing again that if they are just told the options they will pick the right way.
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