SW News: Pro-life groups have expressed their dismay over the lawmakers voting to force all state schools in Northern Ireland to include abortion in the curriculum. The parliamentarians voted on June 28 to support the regulation forcing the public schools to teach children aged 11 to 16 about abortion. The directive was passed in the House of Commons by 373 votes in favor to 28 votes against.
Various pro-life groups, including Right to Life, decried the move as 'disappointing.' The group wants the government guidance "to be as narrow as possible and limit the negative impact it will have in the country." The new regulations mandate that "students receive education on access to abortion" and call for the Department of Education in Northern Ireland to develop guidelines.
The House of Commons Second Delegated Legislation Committee discussed the regulations on Monday, June 26, and the MPs from the Democratic Unionist Party, Jim Shannon, Sammy Wilson, and Ian Paisley, strongly opposed the revisions.
Jim Shannon said, "The Government and the Secretary of State are pushing a policy that they know is abhorrent to many people in Northern Ireland." According to Sammy Wilson, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has ignored this problem and is unconcerned about its consequences.
Several submissions to the committee expressed concerns about the rules, notably that teachers who are morally opposed to abortion would not have the freedom to opt-out to teach the subject.
Right to Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said, "Northern Ireland will now be going from a country where parents can decide when and how to teach their children about abortion to all schools, including faith schools, being forced to teach students aged 11 to 16 years old about abortion."
Meanwhile, the Department for Education will now start work on guidance to support the rollout of the regulations.