One Is The Loneliest Number, Unless You Attend Sex Ed Classes in Spain!

by Ron Callari

You've got to "hand it to" the Spaniards. Differing markedly from our puritanical society, they're taking a very touchy subject matter and handing it off to their students...literally! While some feel that pleasuring one's self should be taught behind closed doors or picked up in the streets, the country's Extremadura Region has chosen to address it front and center in their classrooms.

Extremadura RegionThe €14,000 (£12,500) educational program includes leaflets and flyers on self-respect and contraception alongside workshops featuring instruction on masturbation techniques, The Guardian reports.

The curriculum's slogan called "Pleasure is in your own hands" almost sounds like a spoof or an

SNL skit. But for some its not a laughing matter, as it challenges the traditional beliefs of many religions including the Roman Catholic Church which has definite views on people having sex for non-productive reasons... even on their own.

Hernández Carrón, the leader of the right-wing People's Party is most vocal in his condemnation of the program. "This is an intimate subject that should be dealt with at home- we have become the laughing stock of Spain."

Masturbation-sympathizers disagree. Officials from the neighbouring region of Andalucia have expressed an interest in replicating the program in their own school system.

Commentators questioned why the poorest region in Spain was paying for a campaign to promote onanism. I didn't even know what "onanism" was until this news story broke. Just goes to show you what one can still learn about one's self, no matter how old you are! (However, I didn't feel so bad when the word came up in "spell check." Apparently Microsoft doesn't know the meaning of the word either!)

Carrie PrejeanAt the time this news story was breaking across the globe, there was no time to confirm whether or not Carrie Prejean will be the school's first guest lecturer! Apparently when asked to comment, Larry King told us, it was an "inappropriate question."