Sir, – When the uproar arose over the so-called “baptism barrier”, the mantra of those assailing the Catholic Church’s position was the overriding importance of parental choice. But now that veneer has been stripped away with the proposals to neuter any parent’s rights to choose to have their children taught Catholic values around sexual activity. What has been exposed is a naked attempt to foist a pagan/atheistic/satanic (take your pick) hedonism on all schoolchildren regardless of their parents’ wishes.The Catholic Church has a beautiful, coherent, holistic theology of the body, which holds that sexual activity should be characterised by an indissoluble bond between the partners and an openness to new life. Such is the importance it attaches to this teaching is that the degree to which one lives it, or repents for infractions of it, could be a decisive factor in determining whether one enjoys eternal bliss in the afterlife or the separation from God known as Hell. To prevent the passing on of this sound doctrine is blatant persecution of the Catholic Church. The issue is not whether parents may choose to opt out of this education if they do not agree with it, the issue has become whether parents’ rights to choose it should be respected.– Yours, etc,
COLM FITZPATRICK,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – Breda O'Brien is correct in stating that sex education can never be fully devoid of values (Opinion & Analysis, February 2nd).
However, profound harm occurs when religious values are used to oppose education that is inclusive of LGBT+ teenagers. As a doctor caring for young people, I see the effects of homophobia and transphobia on my patients’ health. LGBT+ young people deserve an education that respects and includes their identities.
Like education, medicine cannot be practised in an ethical vacuum. But unlike education, Irish medicine has moved away from rigid religious ethics to embrace a secular normative ethical framework. It is time that our schools did the same. – Yours, etc,
Dr RALPH HURLEY
O’DWYER,
Executive Board Member,
ShoutOut,
Outhouse,
Capel Street,
Dublin 1.