Michael Brucciani (Mailbox, March 24) expressed doubts about the Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) syllabus.

SRE is copied from the practice and experience of Dutch schools, which is subscribed to and agreed by all the different religious groupings; and family life in Holland is much more secure than it is here.

Sex is regarded as a normal, natural, and enjoyable activity; without a whole burden of sin and blame being attached to it. Furthermore, and most importantly, it is firmly grounded in everybody having a full and open knowledge of the subject and its social implications. Thus, they have, proportionately, only one unwanted teenage pregnancy for every six recorded here.

One observation of my own regarding our fundamentalist attitudes to this subject (Oliver Cromwell may be dead, but his ghost goes marching on), and the oft repeated argument that sex is primarily for procreation. Primarily, yes; but the day-to-day desire for fulfillment of our need for sex is the basic family bonding relationship that should hold societies together. It is the misguided denial of that factor, enshrined in our current sex education policies and attitudes, which causes the breakdown of our society: robbing women and girls (in steady, teenage, dating relationships) of their crucial role for effective, overall, social leadership.

Dutch women understand well their responsibilities and consequent influence in this respect; and that is why Holland is a peaceful, family oriented, matriarchal society.

Wilfred Gaunt, Leicester.