02.12 Most Russians Support Sex Ed, Right to Abortion – Poll

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) – Most Russians believe schools should offer sex education lessons, according to a new survey conducted by the independent Levada Center.

Russian schools do not include sex education as a systemic part of the curriculum, whic is considered a major factor in the failure to curb the AIDS epidemic that has raged in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Twenty-four percent of respondents said sex ed was “definitely necessary,” while another 40 percent said it was “probably necessary.”

Eighteen percent thought it was probably not necessary, and seven percent said it was “definitely not necessary,” according to the poll published Monday.

The findings of the survey appear to go against the current of the mood of growing conservatism promoted most actively by the Orthodox Church, which has spoken out in opposition to sex education.