SCOTS head teachers have been urged not to let a hardline US Christian sex campaigner talk to their kids.

Pamela Stenzel, a favourite of the US religious right – spoke to up to 200 pupils from several schools in a seminar at Catholic St Andrew’s Academy in Paisley.

But it’s claimed one pupil who heard her was so upset he needed “extensive support”.

And Stenzel’s critics accuse her of using false information to promote her pro-abstinence, anti-abortion agenda. They say she intimidates kids with lies and leaves them afraid of sex.

Stenzel’s message includes claims that condoms are not safe, and that the Pill exposes women to the risk of infertility or death.

She has also claimed in the past: “No one has ever had more than one partner and not paid.”

A senior NHS official has emailed schools in his area to warn them about Stenzel. The email claims that a boy who heard her Paisley lecture was “utterly traumatised” and needed “extensive support”.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s principal health improvement officer for sexual health, Nicky Coia, wrote: “I wanted to alert you that a school in one of our local authorities has recently brought in Pam Stenzel.

“I am not yet sure if this is part of a move from her to pursue school-based work in Scotland.

“We had a report of at least one young person utterly traumatised by what he’d heard from her and needing quite an extensive amount of support.

“We are raising the matter with the local authority.

“It would be useful to know if she’s been employed in other areas. If anyone hears anything, could you let me know?”

Stenzel gave an hour-long lecture at St Andrews last month. An audience member said kids as young as 11 were there, with pupils bussed in from other schools.

The source said of Stenzel’s message: “It was a lot of lies, along with a lot of very confusing information. It’s very confusing and poor information to give children who have no idea when they’re going to start having sex and how they’ll go about it.

“I can’t believe children have been put through something like this. It was terrifying them into abstinence. It was shocking.”

Patrick Harvie MSP, co-convener of the Scottish Green Party, said: “Sex education has to be education first and foremost. It must not be allowed to be an excuse for ideological attempts to tell lies to children.

“There is guidance in place. It’s important to ensure that is being complied with.

“If that guidance allows lies to be told about the effectiveness of contraception, or about young people’s rights, perhaps we need to review that guidance.”

Stenzel’s talk was organised by staff at St Andrew’s and Renfrewshire Council were not told about it in advance.

The school would not comment. The council said: “Pupil attendance at the seminar on May 8 was voluntary. Both pupils and parents were invited to attend.

“The material presented has to be viewed in the context of the school’s religious and moral
ethos, and was in addition to the standard sex education programme.”

The Scottish Government issue sex education guidance to schools, but church leaders can make sure lessons in religious schools are appropriate to the school’s ethos and values.

Will Harris, of sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Trying to terrify young people about sex will not stop them having it. It will make them less confident in knowing how to protect themselves when the time comes.

“We don’t disagree with teaching young people about deferring sex, but to claim it’s the only option is seriously short-sighted.”

Harris said the quality of sex education in Scots schools “varies wildly” because schools are only required to teach “the biology of sex”.

He said high-quality, standardised sex education would help kids “to see the kind of claims made by Pam Stenzel for what they are – nonsense”.

Stenzel is a professional speaker who claims to reach 500,000 teenagers per year.

She studied at Liberty University, founded by right-wing TV evangelist Jerry Falwell.

Her website includes a message of support from hard-right Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, and her list of “friends” includes Christian group Focus on the Family, who advocate the corporal punishment of children.

She left a message on Twitter after her talk, giving her love to the “amazing pupils and teachers at St Andrew’s”. She was not available for comment last night.

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