'We Have Become the Laughing Stock of Spain'

I always thought this is something kids figured out on their own. Just hope word doesn't spread too much. Before long the schools here will be teaching the same subject matter.

It's one of those things you wouldn’t think anyone needs to learn, but apparently, masturbation is an art in Spain.

So much so, in fact, that the country's Extremadura region is launching a sex-education program centered around "self-pleasure."

The Guardian reports that the $20,000 campaign includes workshops that feature masturbation instructions. There also are leaflets on self-respect and contraception.

The region's socialist government aims to help teenagers with "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure."

Laura Garrido, a youth council president, reveals that the campaign is supposed to remove the mystique surrounding sex.

"The campaign is simple, clear, natural and easily understood by the people it is aimed at, who are aged between 14 and 17," she says.

But not everyone in Spain supports bringing masturbation into the realm of public education.

"This is an intimate subject that should be dealt with at home," says Hernández Carrón, a member of the opposition People's party. "We have become the laughing stock of Spain."