Letters: Dec. 15, 1986

Teaching Sex

To the Editors:

If sex education is to be beneficial [EDUCATION, Nov. 24], it should include two components: factual information about sexual functions and concrete instruction on values. Since many parents shudder at the thought of "sex talk," we should expand public education to include classes that will guide parents in clarifying their own sexual values and developing the skills they need to communicate these standards to their youngsters. Julia H. Hawgood Cincinnati

Advocates of sex education are rearing their heads once again. Using the schools to instruct children about sex remains a form of invasion and is a usurpation of parental rights. Something so intimate must be kept within the confines of the home and the church. God never made a substitute for a mother. Frank Kolk Newark

I am a teenager who has been in sex-education courses at school since the third grade. Most of the young people I know have developed liberal ideas about sex, even though the school programs have, if anything, discouraged promiscuous sex and so-called immoral sexual behavior. Our attitudes about sex do not come from teachers; they come from society and our peers. We are influenced by the media's portrayal of sex as being glamorous and by the opinions of other teenagers. The best thing teachers can do is give us the biological facts, teach us about sexually transmitted diseases, then stand back and let us make our own decisions. Janet J.K. Jones Toledo

Teenagers should be responsible for their actions, and the only way they can make intelligent, sensible choices is by learning all the facts. Even if this knowledge has to come from outside the home, it is better than having parents give youngsters misinformation or no information at all. Cara Lee Kowitz Minneapolis

The notion that an atmosphere of silence, shame and secrecy is morally superior to one of candor and informed opinion is ridiculous. Forced repression of the facts of human sexuality has devastated far more lives than AIDS ever will. Kevin Mayfield Conshohocken, Pa.

Man of the Year

I nominate South African State President P.W. Botha, who will not be a welcome choice but who has greatly influenced world events. Luis V. Guevara Manila

The spy. John Walker, Jerry Whitworth, Vitaly Yurchenko and all the others have turned the genre of spy fiction into a reflection of a dismal reality. Kevin M. McGehee Sacramento

Definitely Mrs. John Walker, to whom we may owe our lives. Rodney R. Smith Casselberry, Fla.

Vladimir Horowitz. Patsy Seybert Indianapolis

Philippine President Corazon Aquino, for her boldness and spirited courage in challenging the 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos. (The Rev.) Ronnie Roque San Pedro, the Philippines

The Statue of Liberty. America needs a queen, and Lady Liberty is that. Lloyd E. Campbell Detroit

Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Idris Ahmed Nurgat Chipata, Zambia

Arms for Iran