Kmart is selling a shockingly graphic sex-ed book for children

• Sex can be an awkward topic for parents to discuss with their kids.
• To help parents broach the topic, Fiona Katauskas wrote an educational book called "The Amazing True Story of How Babies are Made." 
• Last week, a Facebook user expressed concern over the book's appropriateness when they saw that it was being sold in the kids' section at Kmart in Australia.
• Naturally, the post sparked a debate online. 

From when to start teaching kids about the birds and the bees to what they should be taught, it's hard for people to agree on seemingly anything when it comes to sex education. Given how divisive of a subject it is, it should come as no surprise that some people were less than thrilled to learn of a recent sex ed book geared toward children. 

The book, "The Amazing True Story of How Babies are Made" by Fiona Katauskas, provides children and parents with a frank look at the topic. But one Facebook user named Auburn 2144 felt that the book was a little too forthright for children. Auburn 2144 posted a photo of the illustrated book, which was on display in the kids' section of a local Kmart. 

"Can someone please tell me why the hell is this sold in Kmart Australia under the kids' section?" Auburn 2144 wrote. "Look at the photos and the words!"

Naturally, a debate ensued. Some people felt the book was inappropriate and argued that it didn't belong in the children's section.

But others argued that the children's section was exactly where the book belonged, adding that it offered a factual, non-biased approach to sex education. 

One commenter, Miriam Zahinda, spoke to INSIDER about the debate. "They now have the choice to teach their own children about the human body in ways that they deem appropriate with the option of adding their own religious, cultural, and personal bits of information," she said.

Zahinda also said that she felt the book should be placed in the book section for adults: "Children, especially illiterate ones, having access to such knowledge with no supervision or guidance can result in a complete misunderstanding of what is in the books."

Another woman pointed out that kids were bound to learn about sex in other ways, and they might as well get correct information from an educational source. Her comment noted that sex education is health education and kids need to know how all parts of their body function. 

Others thought the book was a valuable educational resource and praised the author for using the correct terms for male and female reproductive body parts.  

One mother, Nina Ross, wrote that she bought the book for her 8-year-old daughter. "I liked it because it covers surrogacy, IVF babies, C-section babies (like mine were), same-sex parents, breast- and bottle-fed babies," Ross wrote. "Basically, all children's situations are included."

Clearly, sex education is still a contentious topic despite the fact that it can help young people to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

In the US, there is currently no federal law that requires schools to teach sex education. Only 24 states and the District of Columbia currently require public schools teach sex education, of which only 21 mandate sex education and HIV education, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

Given the lack of comprehensive education, books such as "The Amazing True Story of How Babies are Made" may be a necessary resource for parents looking to approach the topic, regardless of how many people disagree.

Neither Kmart, Katauskas, nor Auburn 2144 immediately responded to requests for comment. 

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