When is it appropriate to teach children about reproduction and prenatal development?
Tara Sander Lee, PhD, is Vice President and Director of Life Sciences at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. She is a Harvard-trained scientist with a PhD in Biochemistry and fellowship training in Cell and Molecular Biology. Before joining the Lozier Institute, she was an appointed faculty member at the Medical College of Wisconsin, a Scientific Director of Molecular Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and a scientific consultant.
During this episode, Dr. Lee covers significant topics such as the appropriate age for discussing reproduction with children, the accuracy of prenatal genetic screening, and the importance of age-appropriate curriculum on prenatal development.
Key Takeaways:
- Dr. Lee’s work at the Charlotte Lozier Institute:
- Promotion of public understanding of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
- Scientific advice, education of legislators and the public, and policy advocacy to protect the unborn at an early stage.
- Collaboration with organizations emphasizing life-affirming biblical worldview.
- Prenatal genetic screening and its initial purpose to screen high-risk pregnancies for genetic disorders.
- Current widespread offering to all pregnant women regardless of risk, especially for rare disorders.
- High false positive rates even in low-risk pregnant women.
- Importance of using accurate scientific terminology from a biblical worldview to help children grasp reproduction.
- Introducing age-appropriate curriculum on reproduction and human prenatal development.
- Emphasizing the celebration and marveling at God’s creation process is crucial in helping children understand human life and reproduction.
- Teaching children abstinence and helping them understand their identity in Christ.
- A proactive approach to discussing sensitive topics before children hear inaccurate information.
- Using graphic material to educate children about the associated risks of premarital sex.
Two resources for teaching children about pregnancy, prenatal development, and the humanity of unborn children: The Voyage of Life & Contend Projects.
Two resources Dr. Lee developed for teaching women about the limitations of genetic screening and prenatal diagnosis with life-affirming options if they do receive a prenatal diagnosis: False Positives in Prenatal Testing & PrenatalDiagnosis.org.
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