Precious Life condemns Stormont vote endorsing controversial RSE recommendations
Parents must not be sidelined in decisions about their children's moral and sex education.
Precious Life has expressed deep concern following a vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly to endorse the Education Committee's recommendations on Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE).
The vote gives political backing to recommendations that could have far-reaching consequences for the content and delivery of RSE in schools across Northern Ireland.
While today's motion does not itself change the law or remove existing parental withdrawal rights, it sends a worrying message about the direction of future education policy.
Bernadette Smyth, Director of Precious Life, said, "Parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing, moral development and education of their children. The state must not undermine that responsibility or treat parents as obstacles to its educational agenda.
"We are particularly concerned about proposals to standardise RSE across schools without sufficient guarantees that parents' rights, religious beliefs and freedom of conscience will be respected.
"Children deserve education that protects their innocence, promotes healthy relationships and safeguards them from abuse and exploitation. But safeguarding must never become a justification for excluding parents from decisions about what their children are taught.
"Parents have every right to know what is being taught to their children and to have their beliefs, values and convictions respected.
"Today's vote is a political endorsement of recommendations, not the end of this process. We will be watching closely to see what proposals the Education Minister brings forward and whether the rights of parents and the ethos of our schools will be protected.
"Churches and Christian communities must also recognise the seriousness of this moment. We cannot simply react to decisions made by politicians. We must actively support parents, strengthen Christian education and explore independent Christian schools and homeschooling networks.
"Parents must not be left feeling that they have no choice but to surrender their children's education to the state.
"We call on all MLAs, the Education Minister and school authorities to put parents' rights, the protection of children and freedom of conscience at the heart of any future RSE policy.
The responsibility for educating our children belongs first and foremost to parents. That right must be defended."
