MINISTER WANTS SUBJECT OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BE INTRODUCED SOON

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- Women, Family and Community Development
Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil urged the teaching of reproductive
health to school pupils as young as 12 years old be introduced soon.

She said the move to teach the subject must be expedited to prevent
pregnancies and giving birth to babies out of wedlock among young people which
had resulted in many cases of abandoned babies and infanticide.

"I want the Education Ministry to view this issue seriously, as although
reproductive health is touched on in the school syllabus, it is not deep or
comprehensive enough.

"We must teach them in an academic, scientific and decorous manner. So, we
ask that the ministry increase the hours for teaching this subject," she said
after launching the 'Kami Prihatin' (We Care) campaign, here, Thursday.

The campaign is an initiative by the Utusan Malaysia newspaper to promote a
caring attitude and good human values in society to address the problems of
child abuse and abandonment of babies.


Shahrizat said her ministry had already proposed the teaching module for
reproductive health to the Education Ministry, but the effort to introduce the
subject had been stalled as many people still regarded the subject as sensitive
or taboo.

"Many of the unwanted pregnancies have occurred among 14- and
15-year-olds...so before their hormones and biology 'create problems', they must
be told. We must act before it's too late.

"Many of our young do not realise what will happen to them and the risk
involved if they engage in sex. If they know, the problem of unwanted
pregnancies and unwanted babies can be controlled," she said.

-- BERNAMA



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