Babies, Sex and Sex Education

By Hafidz Baharom

APRIL 7 — Baby dumping is now becoming a serious issue for the government to cope with. I find it interesting enough that people are treating babies like garbage or even excrement, going so far as to just shove it down the toilet and flush. We’ve heard many gory tales of how babies are being left to die, or even murdered. Some throw them from their apartments; some leave them in garbage dumps to be found by kids who think it’s a doll. And then, there are those who just stuff the baby in their school bags and go back to class as if nothing happened.

Now, I’m not going to be like the mufti of Penang who thinks the best religious way to handle this is the threat of excommunication from the Islamic faith. Because, truth be told, they’ve already committed adultery. And I don’t think the ‘Islamic faith’ was even part of their decision to do that either.

Similarly, regarding what was said in Parliament on April 1, 2010, I don’t believe a death sentence should be considered for those who dump babies, unless someone can prove they threw the baby off an apartment balcony or literally drowned the baby in toilet water.

Personally I thought a better sentence would have been returning the baby to both parents, marry them and make them serve community service in an orphanage. I’m sure the Chow Kit Kids could use some help.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still pro-death sentence; particularly when members of our air force can smuggle out two jet engines.

In most cases and this one included, prevention is the way forward. This, I’m sorry to note, was not mentioned at all on either side of the political divide during the winding up speech by Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil.

For those who may not know this, and I’ll put it in the most basic sense, sex brings about reproduction; unprotected sex, to be exact. So unless you are actually thinking of having a baby you actually have two choices; either make yourself impotent, or abstain from sex altogether.

Therefore, to be sure that unwanted babies don’t become dumped or killed, this is obviously where we have to start. Those who believe that religion can somehow stop people from having sex will preach abstinence, while others who think their child is one horny teenager or young adult would preach contraception.

Neither works a guaranteed 100 per cent on everyone in this nation of 28 million people, 7 million of which are the youth who have enough hormones and sexual drive to reproduce like bunny rabbits.

It is this 7 million that should be given at least this much information via sex education. Of course, we have syllabus in schools which is said to teach sex education, as perhaps some of us have heard the Ministry of Education defending themselves.

This is, of course, whitewash.

What they teach is the reproductive system in Form Three, the biological multiplication of cells and arrangement of chromosomes in Form Four, and perhaps the religious and moral connotations of having sex. That’s about it.

Now, imagine having learned all this, and then letting the teen go back and watch a pornographic film. Honestly, the last thing a student needs to learn is how to plan a barebacking orgy in a hotel suite in Boca.

Somehow, perhaps this government thinks that amount of knowledge is enough for a college flunky to give birth by herself in a dorm room in Johor. I don’t share the same sentiment.

Does any school teach on the subject of masturbation? Oral sex? Anal sex? Sexually transmitted diseases? Pre-marital sex? Extra-marital sex?

Sadomasochism and bestiality, if need be?

After all, we are talking about sex education. Far be it for me to recommend kids to watch Juno, but there are some lessons in there that need to be taken to heart from that movie.

First and foremost, unwanted babies can be given up for adoption.

There are Malaysian families out there who wouldn’t mind adopting your unwanted child. This is a message we should get out in the open for those who do not know the avenues available for them to take.

Secondly, parents need to play a role here. I have more faith in parents in comparison to the ‘Malay first’ Ministry of Education doing anything about it just yet. He’s got his hands full being ‘Malay’, so I’m looking at parents to teach about contraception, teen pregnancy and even abstinence.

I’m not telling you how to raise your kid. I’m merely telling you that your teenage kids are already thinking about it, and you should start talking to them about it before they too decide that flushing a newborn down a toilet seemed like a good idea at the time.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.