After reading two recent opinion pieces in the Current, and the follow-up letters and guest column, I feel I must add my thoughts to the mix. There are so many points to rebut that it’s difficult for me to know where to start.

First of all, I believe that we all have a right to our opinions. We have an obligation to ourselves and our families to speak up for what we believe, and to defend those beliefs, values and opinions. Sometimes this is not easy to do.

I value age-appropriate sex education in our public schools. At the same time, my husband and I would prefer to be our children’s primary information source on matters of body health, reproduction, and sex. That said, I feel strongly that the more information our children can learn from respected adults in the community (school nurses, health teachers), the more I can be sure that they are getting accurate information and that what I teach them is corroborated by professionals.

Before our children started the “puberty education” sessions at Wentworth Intermediate School, parents were invited to preview the material, ask questions, and decide whether or not to participate. I would like to think that parents finding something objectionable about this would have the courage to decide to keep their children out of the program. When your opinion writer asks “…what do we say to our kids when we tell them we need to opt out because we don’t agree with the material being taught?” I would answer – You explain and defend your family’s values to your children, and teach them the lesson that sometimes standing up and acting on what we think is right is not the easy road to take.

I believe that respectful dialogue is the only way that people with differing opinions can come to empathize with another person’s point of view. A sweeping, inflammatory generalization, such as “Planned Parenthood is an organization that faithful Catholics and religious people find offensive – and rightfully so,” is not the way to foster dialogue and respect. I am a religious person who greatly admires Planned Parenthood and its mission of reproductive health education and voluntary control of our reproduction. I invite readers to read Planned Parenthood’s mission statement at www.plannedparenthood.org in the “About Us” section.

Finally, I must thank the Current’s editorial writer, letter writers and guest columnist for taking the time to share their opinions. These writings have fostered a wonderful opportunity for my husband and me to share and explain our values to our two teenagers. We have always taught them that it is very important to learn about all sides of an issue before formulating an opinion, to listen to others’ opinions and to respect others, while exhorting them to defend what they think is right. Sometimes this is not easy to do.

Cathy Bennett

Scarborough