Britons' Sex Problem

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The British - with a rich heritage of erotic and semi-erotic literature such as Henry Fielding's novels "Tom Jones" and "Moll Flanders", D.H. Lawrence's novels "Lady Chatterly's Lover", "The Fox" and "Women In Love", and the Romantic poets to name a few - have a sex problem.

It's hard to believe but facts are facts and a new survey conducted for the U.K.'s Family Planning Association (FPA) and conducted by Gfk NOP, reveals that when it comes to sex, Britons are woefully - there's no nice way to say it - ignorant.

According to the survey, almost one of every three Britons think that if a woman jumps up and down, washes or urinates immediately after sex, she can prevent pregnancy. A whopping 89 per cent of respondents were unaware that it is possible for sperm to live inside a woman's body for up to seven days.

Of the 500 people questioned, half of them did not know that a woman's most fertile time is between 10 and 16 days before her next period. One in four incorrectly thought that the fluid a man produces before he ejaculates does not contain sperm.

The FPA released the survey results to coincide with its Contraceptive Awareness Week. FPA officials said the survey results reveal "widespread confusion and misunderstanding" about some of the basic facts about sex and called for improved sex and relationships education in schools.

"In today's sexualized society, we are bombarded with a multitude of sexual imagery and messages," Anne Weyman, chief executive of FPA, told reporters. "Nevertheless, providing people with the information and skills they need to make positive choices about their health and lives is not considered a priority."

According to FPA, one in five pregnancies in the U.K. currently ends in abortion. "None of us is born with the facts about sex and reproduction - we are taught them," said Weyman.

In one of the necks of the woods where Eye grew up, it was well "known" that a woman couldn't get pregnant if she drank a glass of wine at the stroke of midnight after having had sex. Pretty stupid, but many a young lad believed it and convinced many a young lady that it was true. Many of those gullible enough to believe it generally "had to get married" within two months of the ceremonial drinking of the wine at midnight.

As we see it, Ms. Weyman is correct and, given the survey results, Britain should invest more resources in sex education programs. And Britain is the not the only country that should do this.