Sex books aimed at 13 to 15 year olds have been strongly defended by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Two hardback books – entitled Boys and Girls and True of False? – tell youngsters how to have sex safely.
They contain graphic illustrations of young people in bed together as well as detailed explanations about sexual intercourse.
But the books, which also tackle homophobic bullying and binge drinking and were jointly produced with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire, have brought strong opposition from the Catholic Church in Scotland. It has branded them as ‘sinister sexual health propaganda’ that appears to endorse under-age sex.
A church spokesman said: ‘The traditional design of the books is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What is even worse is the fact this wolf is in the pen.
‘There is truly a strong, sinister stench emanating from these books.’
The NHS has spent £40,000 on a total of 14,000 books.
Recently, a spokeswoman for the three NHS areas involved said: ‘Given the high levels of sexually-transmitted infection and teenage pregnancy, it is vital we encourage young people to delay sex until they are emotionally and physically ready for the consequences.
‘These books have proved popular and are successful in helping a wide range of staff discuss sexual health and relationships with young people. We are in the process of completing an independent evaluation and initial feedback suggests that young people have found them extremely useful. We worked closely with young people to develop the content and style to make sure the books would appeal to the target audience.
‘We do not promote or encourage under-age sex and have a number of programmes – including this one – to delay the age at which young people become sexually active.
‘However, the reality is that some 14 and 15 year olds – the age group at which these books are aimed – are having sex.
‘To pretend otherwise is simply to ignore the real situation.
Consequences
‘We need to be able to talk to them about this in their own language and in a way that engages them, and to point out the consequences of engaging in sexual activity before they are ready.
‘The books are available free for all service providers who deal with young people in the target age group.
They are available through the Public Education Resource Library service. The NHS has gone to great lengths to ensure that distribution is restricted to the target age group only.
‘There is also a request on the inside for the readers to ensure they do not leave it lying around, or pass it on to anybody younger than the intended target group.’
