Opting out of Common Sense

So, we have a bit of Canadian Content for once, its good to finally comment on things happening within my own country, gives me perspective into how bizarre we all can act and that silliness has no nationality. http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=1434770&sponsor=Compliments%20of%20TD%20Waterhouse

This really is silly, and I'm not even talking about the same-sex protections clause. You mean to tell me that in this day and age, people can still remove their children from a provincially certified, secular, part of an educational curriculum because it clashes with one's religion? This is not acceptable; schools are provided to teach ALL students the necessary facts to make them productive human beings, no parent has the right to remove their child from that situation because of their own beliefs, especially here since it is removing the child from important facts about life. The example mentioned in the article, of preventing children from learning about sexual education, is simply shocking. In the United States, states that do not teach sexual education or use abstinence-only education have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, with both Alaska and Texas topping the list. Why, exactly, would something of this importance be something that could be forbidden to a child because of their parents religion?

This is more than just bad politicking, this is an attempt to harm our children and contribute to our increasing health care costs with unwanted pregnancies, increased abortions and the spread of sexually transmitted infections due to plain lack of knowledge. Alberta has a chance here to prevent that, but the Culture Minister seems to want no part in the fight to protect our youth and keep our education system free of outside influences.