At a press conference at the Legislative Yuan, Kuomintang Legislators Joanna Lei and Hong Hsiu-chu -- along with several school leaders -- noted that in recent years, Taiwan's sex education policies tend to overemphasize safe sexual practices while ignoring the importance of the essence of gender relationships and spiritual interaction.

They noted that one textbook on sex education edited by the Ministry of Education for junior high school students "only" stresses safe sexual practices and dating without mentioning commitment, responsibility and marriage. According to the speakers, this kind of sex education policy comparable to "putting the cart before the horse."

Lei noted that in the 1980's, under the influence of people's more open attitudes toward sex, concepts about safe sex became the norm in the field of sex education. However, they said, social problems like teen pregnancy, teen abortion and the spread of venereal disease in teenagers only worsened.

Hence, starting in 1998, the U.S. government allocated at least US$50 million per year to local governments to promote abstinence education, urging teenagers to take responsible and cautious attitudes toward relationships and sex and to learn about mutual respect and self-protection, Lei said.

Hong added that abstinence education attaches importance to the principles, "Wait, Think and Talk," which reminds teens that decisions about sex and relationships may be the most important decisions you will ever make, so it's crucial that teenagers wait, think and talk to others for advice before you act.

Father Louis Aldrich S.J., former dean of the Faculty of Theology Fujen Catholic University, and the university president Bernard Li emphasized that telling teenagers to respect their own and others' bodies and life and to deliberate on the possible consequences of irresponsible or pre-marital sex is much more important than only emphasizing safe sex.

Tunghai University President Haydan Cheng stressed that in addition to just sex, love, commitment, responsibility, trust and thoughtful consideration are just as important factors in relationships and should be emphasized in sex education.

Yang Ke-ping, the president of Cardinal Tien College of Nursing, added that it is really improper that a textbook edited by a government institution puts sex in the first chapter while the topic of seeking true love is in the last part and that sex is discussed much more than other the important concepts, such as love, respect, responsibility and family, which should be put in the front of the book.

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