Sexual education: ethics, freedom and autonomy

Abstract

This paper deals with the topic of sexual education as it relates to the concepts of ethics, freedom and autonomy. The approach presented heredoes not consider any a priori concepts defining what is ethic and whatis not, neither proposes a distinctive criterion about what is moral. As aconsequence, it is not prescriptive or normative in relation to the ethical principal of freedom. The idea is to direct ethical problems to the dynamics embedded in social practices. Considering ethics as a practice of freedom, it intends to exercise this practice, encouraging actors to debate about the decisions and choices to be made. This paper is focused on the following questions: In which way could issues of sexuality be treated in schools as a practice of freedom and not from a prescriptive moral? How could sexual education produce reflections and autonomy? These questions are

addressed based on the analysis of a sexual education activity developed in a school related to paternity.

Keywords: sexual education; ethics; school; sexuality; gender.