Government denies sex education u-turn
February 24th, 2010 by Martina.Booth
MPs have backed a controversial amendment to the sex education bill, meaning faith schools will be allowed to teach sex education in a way that ‘reflects’ their ‘religious character’.
Originally all schools would have had to teach pupils about issues including gay rights, contraception and abortion. However, schools will now be able to ‘tailor teaching to their own beliefs’.
Opponents said the government had shown “cowardice” in bowing to religious groups’ pressure, saying the amendment could give a rise to homophobia.
Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society said the government had “once more bowed to pressure from the Catholic Church, betraying the children in faith schools who have a right to objective and balanced sex education”.
“This cowardice will blight many lives,” he added.
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain of the Accord Coalition said he was “astonished and saddened” at the amendment.
“If a school doesn’t approve of contraception or abortion or homosexuality, then it can give that message or it can omit certain facts,” he said.
“We know there are some faith schools which take a very negative view.”
The Children’s Secretary Ed Balls denied the amendment represented an opt-out for faith schools.
“A Catholic faith school can say to their pupils we believe as a religion contraception is wrong but what they can’t do is therefore say that they are not going to teach them about contraception to children and how to access contraception,” he said.
“What this changes is that for the first time these schools cannot just ignore these issues or teach only one side of the argument.
“They also have to teach that there are different views on homosexuality. They cannot teach homophobia. They must explain civil partnership.”
The ‘religious character’ amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill was passed by a majority of 345 in the Commons.
The full, amended bill was passed by a Commons majority of 91 and now goes to the House of Lords.
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