Couple angered by MP’s vulgar joke email gaffe

Couple angered by MP’s vulgar joke email gaffe : A Liverpool couple have been ridiculed by their MP’s staff for trying to protect their ten-year-old son from a pornographic sex education programme widely used in UK primary schools, reports Liverpool media (1).

The couple, Christopher and Pauline Power have been supported in their efforts by the Safe at School campaign http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/safeatschool/ Mr Power wrote to Alison McGovern, his member of parliament, about "Living and Growing", the Channel 4 DVD series for primary schools.

One of the DVDs shows a naked cartoon couple having a pillow-fight and chasing each other before having sex in different positions.

Mr Power heard nothing for four weeks and then received an accidental email from Mrs McGovern’s assistant which read: "Alison, think we need to get a response out to this gentleman. Know it’s an awfully uncomfortable discussion to have, but think we need to get a position (stop giggling at the back) sooner than later. Jay" Antonia Tully of Safe at School said: "Mr and Mrs Power are deeply distressed that a message to their MP has been turned into a vulgar joke. Safe at School has repeatedly highlighted the contempt for parents shown by those who advocate sexually explicit classroom sex education."

Safe at School is writing to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, asking him to meet Mr and Mrs Power and to see at first hand this programme which is widely used throughout the UK.

(2) "This Channel 4 programme is priming children for teenage sex," said Mrs Tully.

"If Mr Gove is concerned about the damaging impact of the teenage sexual culture in Britain, it is important that he is aware of how explicit, crude and suggestive many sex lessons aimed at pre-teens are. Living and Growing is a prime example.  "The programme not only teaches children how to have sex, it also promotes contraception. In the final lesson children are given an activity sheet entitled ‘Contraceptive Crisis’. This asks children of 10 and 11 years old to describe the way in which five different types of contraceptive work, and then asks them which one a confused couple should use", concluded Mrs Tully.

(1) "Wirral MP left red faced over email accidently sent to constituent", Click Liverpool, (2) Safe at School's letter to Mr Gove,