Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Joanna Lei (
"Children that young are impressionable," said Lei, "showing them pictures of the sex act might cause them to mimic such behavior with disastrous consequences."
Reporters were shown an illustration from a Danish children's book, The True Story of How Babies are Made by Per Holm Knudsen.
The illustration will be used in a series of sex education materials produced by Mercy Memorial Foundation on the behalf of the Department of Health's (DOH) Bureau of Health Promotion (BHP), aimed at schoolchildren in grades five and six.
LOVE AND RESPECT
Even though the illustrations are simple cartoons, they are still inappropriate for children, said Yang Ke-ping (
"There are things that separate human beings from animals," said Yang, "We should be teaching children about love and respect at that age, not sex."
Abstinence-only advocates, including some attendees at yesterday's news conference such as Yang and Rosa Marie Shiao (
"The Youth Expert series was already in print when we found out about it," said Shiao, "but we still managed to stop it from reaching students."
TEACHERS' CHOICE
Deputy head of the BHP Wu Shiow-ing (
"The illustrations of sex acts appear in the teacher's edition of the material," she said, "the teacher can choose to present it to the children after giving them adequate context."
The series is aimed at fifth and sixth grade students, she said.
"By that time, many of the girls would have already gotten their periods," said Wu, "They are ready for this information."
The author of the book, Knudsen, said he is surprised that the use of material from his book, which was published in 1971 and has been translated into various languages, is generating controversy here in this country.
"If it is OK for Danish kids, why shouldn't it be OK for Taiwanese kids?" Knudsen told the Taipei Times. "I wrote the book for four-to-five-year-old kids because that is when they first start getting curious."
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei
RSS