NZFPA Pushes Compulsory Sex Education for 5-Year-Olds in New Zealand

The New Zealand Family Planning Association (NZFPA) plans to introduce 5-year-old Kiwi children to sex education. NZFPA is an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) which promotes contraception, sterilisation and abortion.

The NZFPA is moving ahead with its plans of educating children as young as 5 years old on the concepts of contraception and abortion. Planned Parenthood is pushing for children in New Zealand to be educated on what a condom does, while doing away with the traditional boundaries established around sex education.

Family First NZ National Director Bob McCoskrie said a review of resources for sex education in New Zealand by advocate groups like Family Planning revealed that there were serious issues. The review revealed that current resources on sex education lack critical information concerning life and death.

Mr McCoskrie said many schools and Boards of Trustees were "horrified" with the results of the review.

The NZFPA former executive director and IPFF director general, Dr Gill Greer, praised China's one-child policy in 2009 and said the family policy has helped China's economic recovery and addressed overpopulation.

Planned Parenthood has been criticised for having a double standard in its motto of promoting a woman's right to choose since China has many reported cases of forced abortions and sterilisations. It was also reported that the Chinese government imprisons those who fail to comply with the policy.

Pro-life groups have criticised the NZFPA for advocating compulsory sex education for children in New Zealand as young as five. According to its critics, the NZFPA is also against schools who choose to skip the sex education programme to protect young students.

In November, New Zealand parents were deeply concerned after learning of a new sex education programme offered to 5-year-old children in primary schools. The program known as Every Body Education, has been adopted by primary schools in North Island.

Founder and sexuality educator Kathryn Heape believes that comprehensive sex education is necessary and should begin at a young age.

Ms Heape said she talks about how the baby grows inside the mother's uterus and the role of the penis in delivering the sperm cells to the egg by entering the vagina. She said she teaches everything to children "very matter of fact."