From Mr J. Bozzino

The piece entitled No condoms please, we’re Maltese (TMIS, 6 July), as well as the feature on sex and drugs in A&H

magazine, raises some very important issues about the direction Maltese society will take, following accession to the EU.

The clear implication is that more sex education and condom promotion will help alleviate the increasing trend of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) on the Island.

Unfortunately, as other European countries have found out, it’s just not as simple as that. The UK, which has a very well-established sex education programme in schools, as well as easy access to all forms of contraception – including free distribution by the NHS – saw a 63 per cent rise in STDs between 1997 and 2006. It also has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. Dr Carabot correctly says: “We have acquired the lifestyle of other affluent countries…”. However, it is not at all clear that the measures other affluent countries have put in place are all that effective.

Malta has a golden opportunity to learn from the ideology-driven, so called “progressive” social policy mistakes of other Western European countries. Hopefully, the Government will resist the pressure, especially from factions within the EU, to slavishly follow the same path and thus suffer irreparable damage to Maltese society.

Justin Bozzino

LONDON

Sources:

http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/life/boys/ask_ben/f/free_condoms.html

http://www.avert.org/stdstatisticuk.htm