It's not too long since poor Joe Duffy had to contemplate taking to the bed, such was the uproar among callers over sex scenes in the TV drama Normal People. Well, now the subject of human sexual relations has reared in beastly head again, as the Liveline lit up with people outraged over a leaflet from the HSE which seemingly encourages people to go online for their sexual activity. It all started with Robert, who picked up the leaflet, titled Play It Safe: Sexual Health Protection Pack, from his local pharmacy. He quoted a line from the leaflet, which formed part of a section aimed at reducing the risk of Coronavirus during sexual activity. He told Katie Hannon that he wondered at whom the leaflet was aimed. Here's the bullet point that drew his attention:
"Consider masturbation or remote sexual activity (eg online) as alternatives to physical sexual activity with others."
Robert thought it "rather interesting" to see this advice on a free pamphlet in a pharmacy that anyone could pick up. He told Katie that he wouldn’t be surprised if parents found their teenage children using the pamphlet to demonstrate that masturbation and watching pornography online is fine. He also wondered who the pack is aimed at, particularly in relation to that line referencing remote sexual activity:
"Actually recommending that you actually try these other things, which so many parents, I'm sure, around the country have possibly mentioned, particularly the looking at pornography online, that they've possibly been attempting to dissuade their teenage sons and daughters from doing."
Anne told Katie about her shock and concern that the HSE's sexual health pack seemed to be promoting pornography:
"I suppose like most people – I think – in country I was rather shocked to say the least of it, because the virus has been responsible, sadly, for so many deaths. Now is it going to be responsible for the start of that awful road to pornography?"
Katie replied that she thought that road was well-travelled already at this stage. She asked Anne what it was about the HSE's sexual health advice that shocked her.
"Well, the thing that is shocking to me is that a message can be sent out as if it's the norm to get online and to substitute for the norm of sexual activity between young people, but to get it online."
And Anne painted a stark picture of the damage she believes watching pornography can do to otherwise healthy relationships:
"If a man or a woman get into this world of watching pornography, the ordinary romance they have mightn't live up to this wonderful world, in their eyes, of pornography. It's not exciting enough. So, you could have many romances broken up by getting involved."
Given the need for social distancing and avoiding people we don't know, Katie asked, isn’t masturbation the safest thing for people who feel the need for sexual gratification? Anne was of the view that the whole subject of people's sexual appetites is the sort of thinking that we should try and get away from:
"They’ve got to, if you like, substitute – bring in, go in for sport, do all that kind of thing."
Kevin joined the conversation, coming, he said, from a Jesus Christ perspective:
"And that means that all this type of behaviour is totally and absolutely wrong. No matter how much those people come along and try to puff it up that this is the right thing to do and that the young people should be masturbating and all that type of thing – that’s completely and absolutely wrong."
And Kevin wanted to give his views on males masturbating in particular:
"A male's semen is not stuff that is supposed to be flushed down the toilet or flushed down the drain or flushed anywhere. That is for procreation, for people out there that don't know."
The whole Liveline programme on Wednesday was devoted to the subject of sexual health promotion and people's attitudes to it – and Katie steered the ship through potentially choppy waters admirably – and you can hear it all (and you really should give it a listen) by going here.
Niall Ó Sioradáin