How immoral to acknowledge to kids that yes, sex happens

This post is inspired to some extent by Wildly Parenthetical’s post on sex ed – although I’ve thought for a very long time that sex ed should be a normal part of education generally (from a young age). I don’t know the best way to integrate it (but then, I’m not a teacher). However, I do know that knee-jerk reactions are not the best way to deal with anything much.

This post is essentially my reaction to the knee-jerk reactions displayed in this article here. The gist of which is: the federal government is talking about a national sex ed curriculum for primary and high school.

And the gist of my reaction is: *headdesk* after *headdesk* after *headdesk*.

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18th Down Under Feminists’ Carnival!

Welcome to the 18th Down Under Feminists’ Carnival! (And apologies for the delay.)

This Carnival has an optional caring theme, thanks to Australian Carers’ Week (which was October 18 to October 24). The theme for this year was “Anyone, Anytime, Across Australia”, which I modified to “Anyone, Anytime” for the purposes of the DUFC.

There wasn’t much sent in on theme, so I’ve expanded the DUFC rules just a little.

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Your “I wanna!” doesn’t trump cultural sensitivities

I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in God, nor do I believe there is any inherent supernatural reason not to walk on Uluru.

However, I do believe there are excellent cultural reasons not to walk on Uluru.

I also believe that human rights are important.

However, I don’t believe that your choice to do something as trivial as climb Uluru because it’s there is a human right.

Unlike Kerry van der Jagt and her mates.

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Quick hit: women’s rights in Afghanistan under threat

Not that that’s news, particularly.

Anyway, if this is true, it’s pretty awful: Karzai has reportedly signed a law that rolls back women’s rights.

Apparently, the law has not yet been published, but it is understood to contain (among other things) provisions that legalise rape within marriage and provisions that prevent women from leaving their home without their husband’s permission. One female MP, Senator Humaira Namati,

said the law was “worse than during the Taliban”. “Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam,” she said.

(From the context, I take it she means that anyone who spoke out during the debates.)

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Now, there’s someone who’ll never be Pope!

So, it turns out that not absolutely every high-up member of the Catholic Church is a cruel child-killing excommunicating bastard.

Just most of them.

A Vatican-based prelate has condemned the rapid proclamation of the excommunication of the doctors who performed the abortion for the nine-year-old Brazilian girl who was found to be pregnant with twins, having been sexually abused by her stepfather.

It’s not clear whether he thinks that, ultimately, the doctors (and the mother? she seems to be absent from this article, which is an issue in itself) should have been excommunicated eventually – his criticism seems to be more about the quick announcement of it.

I haven’t written about this terrible situation before, because it’s been widely written about in other places (such as here, here and here, just to point to a few).

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Take your Catholicism off my consultation!

Ok, so we all have our own biases. I can deal with that idea.

And the Federal Government’s consultation on the possibility of a federal charter of rights was hardly starting with a blank page, given that the Federal Government took a constitutional bill of rights off the table right from the begining.

And ok, Frank Brennan, self-described fence-sitter, has done Good Things in his life.

Um, that doesn’t mean he’s always right.

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Marriage? What marriage?

First, an apology to anyone who actually ever reads this blog. As sort of mentioned a couple of posts ago, I’ve been undergoing a bit of a metamorphosis recently. Haven’t had much mental space – or online time – for blogging.

However, I get the feeling that this is about to change, as I read about the story which is central to this post (yes, I’ll get there) and my first thought was: “I have to blog about that!” So I logged on, only to find that Christina has awarded me, and I will deal with my obligations thereunder soon. I also have another post in my head which is a follow-up to this post on slavery and debt bondage in Australia. The High Court has handed down its decision and I do want to write about it. Coming soon. Like, sometime in the next year, at this rate…

Anyway, what I really want to write about is the French Court of Appeal’s overturning of a decision to annul a marriage. Some newspaper articles here and here.

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I’ll give you scandal!

Now, I agree that the fact that “as many as four former priests and brothers and one lay teacher at St Stanislaus’ College, Bathurst” have been accused of sexual abuse – over decades – is a scandal.

I do not agree that it is a “sex” scandal.

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