Who cares about the children?

Well, not the people who make up the Government's Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, that's for sure. If they did, then they would be targeting children with a campaign to say 'NO' to sex rather than encouraging them by allowing the advertising of condoms on TV prior to the watershed. Not surprising really in a nation that has suffered from declining morals for the last few decades, but also not too late to have a change of heart and start to encourage our children to be children and not mini-adults, complete with adult 'desires' that must be satisfied at all costs.

I believe that when you promote the use of condoms to children under the age of sixteen then you are effectively telling them that sex is okay for them provided that they take precautions to avoid unwanted pregnancy. What a crazy manner to approach the subject!

For many years successive governments have approached the subject of teenage pregnancy in ways which have proven to be abject failures. We still have an abysmally high rate of teenage pregnancies. Of course, the benefit system supports the whole concept by making the State take over the financial responsibilities that should rightfully be those of the families concerned. Surely the financial responsibility of raising a child should be born by the parents of the child or, if they are too young to be able to do it, then the families of the parents.

The responsibility for the education of children is a matter for all of us, for it is all of us who finally pay the price for unwanted or 'accidental' pregnancies, but first of all it is the task of the respective parents to guide their children correctly, and then the task of all of us to ensure by speaking to our MP's, that the Government encourage the parents by making things more difficult in such matters as financial support, not easier.

Some years ago I was impressed by a statement made by the TV host, Montel, in a discussion on the matter of unwanted pregnancy. His advice was quite simple. "If you are not prepared to take full responsibility for the consequences then you should not lie down with someone in the first place." What great advice, and advice that many people, especially children, would do to repeat to themselves first thing every day.

It is good to see the Catholic Church making a stand on the matter, but where are the voices from other Churches?

The new UK Advertising Code for the industry announced yesterday will not only allow condoms to be advertised prior to the watershed, but will also allow the advertising of pornography in the shape of both films and magazines on the subscription adult TV channels. The fact that the channels concerned are 'subscription adult' channels does not, of course, prevent children from accessing them.

Add to everything else the allowing of betting tipsters to advertise on TV, and what we have is a further slide into the amoral morass that increases every parent's difficulties when it comes to raising responsible children who will ultimately form into morally responsible adults.