BELFAST, 4 September 2023: The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the UK’s oldest grassroots pro-life organisation is calling on concerned parents, teachers and school governors across Northern Ireland to use the public consultation on relationships and sex-education (RSE) launched by the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris MP to send an unequivocal message to the London Government.
A spokesman for the group said the consultation was “a slap in the face for every parent in Northern Ireland with a child at school”. Liam Gibson, SPUC’s policy and legal officer based in Belfast said:
“The Secretary of State has shown little interest in listening to the views of the people of Northern Ireland. Inviting people to comment on the possibility of parental opt-out after imposing a law that compels all post primary schools to promote and facilitate abortion is completely inadequate.
“This consultation has a very limited scope and will have no significant impact on the Relationships and Sexuality Education (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations that were imposed in June and took immediate effect.
“Under these Regulations, schools must signpost girls to abortion providers without informing their parents. It is also unlawful for teachers to tell pupils the truth about abortion, that it ends the life of an unborn child and leaves many women emotionally damaged,” Mr Gibson said.
This legislation tramples on the ‘prior right’ of parents to have their children educated in accordance with their religious and philosophical convictions. A right recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention.
'Hands off our children'
“Although the London Government is likely to press ahead with its extremist agenda regardless of the outcome of this consultation, everyone who cares about the sanctity of human life and the innocence of children should use this opportunity to send an unequivocal message to the Secretary of State — ‘Hands off our children!’
“All those who object to the London Government’s radical agenda should insist on the immediate withdrawal of the 2023 RSE Regulations before any meaningful consultation can take place. Parents especially must fight this agenda because the lives of their children and grandchildren could depend on it,” said Mr Gibson.