Flying ihe Koop

U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop,
who got his present job at the urging of pro-
life forces in and around the fledgling Rea-
gan administration and who has scarcely
been heard from on that issue since, had one
doozy of a bomb for his old supporters last
week. `IMng aim at AIDS, he recommended
sex education starting in third grade, with
detailed information about homosexuality
starting in junior high school. A more com-
plete case of mental takeover by the Wash-
ington establishment is probably not on re-
cord.

By way of introducing his new study on
the subject, Dr. Koop observed that many
people, especially young people, "are not re-
ceiving information that is vital to their fu-
ture health and well-being because of our
reticence in dealing with the subjects of sex,
sexual practices, and homosexuality" Hmm.
Prom what we have heard about what goes on
in those sex-ed seminars in the public
schools, "reticence" is not exactly the word
that first comes to mind.

`lb be sure, Dr. Koop's course would not be
the usual "value-free" how-to. "Couples who

MONDAY, OCTOBER27,1986

engage in freewheeling casual sex these days
are playing a dangerous game," he warns.
Perhaps he expects parents to rally behind a
sex-ed program designed to frighten kids
into chastity If so, he misses the point.

Chastity prevents AIDS - agreed. But
fear does not produce chastity Even as Dr.
Koop was speaking, a conference sponsored
by the Department of Health and Human
Services was taking stock of "what works" in
preventing teen-age pregnancy (not the same
issue as AIDS, obviously, but relevant).
There was general agreement that what
works is teaching kids self-esteem and resis-
tance to peer pressure - not merely provid-
ing information.

A compelling case can be made, on the
other hand, that some children are harmed
psychologically when given sexual informa-
tion at too tender an age. As a result of its
transfer of parental roles to institutions -
which would be a dubious project even if it
attained its advertised objectives - the
present generation may be raising its chil-
dren as emotionally handicapped misfits.

Physician, heal thyself.