Sir, – Taoiseach Enda Kenny's call for a national conversation about pornography ("Kenny calls for 'national conversation' about pornography", October 27th) is incorrectly focused.
It is a simplified and populist appeal to traditional values that fails to engage with the larger context.
Instead Mr Kenny should be ensuring the proper resourcing of comprehensive sexual education for young people.
As the ready accessibility of pornography is likely only to increase, the best thing we can do as a society is to equip young people with the knowledge and critical capabilities to appreciate the richness of human sexuality and reject the reduction of sex to cliches and the objectification of women, in particular.
Moreover, such an educational programme could provide much needed information on informed consent to address everyday harassment of women and a culture which too easily justifies sexual assaults.
Until then, any national conversations will remain empty gestures.
– Yours, etc,
Dr RICHARD SCRIVEN
Ballinlough,
Cork.