Madam, - Philip Nulty (March 30th) proposes that teenagers should be taught safer sex as opposed to sexual abstinence. This "either or" approach is grossly insulting to many teenagers as it suggests they are incapable of independent thought and can only conform to a set of external values.
The attitude of limiting the information available has been traditionally used in this country with detrimental effects. Comprehensive sex education must involve, among other things, communicating the challenges and positive reasons for waiting and remaining true to one partner for life (commonly called abstinence) as well as the ways of reducing risk. This has very rarely happened in Ireland, but only when it does can teenagers make empowered and free choices about their sexual behaviour. - Yours, etc.,
RICHARD CARSON, ACET Ireland (Aids Care Education and Training), Dublin 14.