TD warns new sex education programme for Catholic primary schools could be “harmful”

The new sex education programme will teach students: "We are perfectly designed by God to procreate with him."

Solidarity TD Mick Barry has warned the new sex education programme for Catholic primary schools developed by the Irish Bishops’ Conference "could be harmful" in some cases. Aimed at children in junior infants to sixth class, the relationships and sexuality education (RSE) programme - titled Flourish - has made headlines for its stance on LGBT issues. An introductory document for the programme states that while children should not be made to feel any form of "otherness" by what is taught in class, the Church’s teaching "in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted". The full paragraph in the document reads:

"Children in the senior classes in primary school will be aware the existence of LGBTQI and some may question their own identity in this regard. The RSE programme in the Catholic school must not promote shame, but rather seek to affirm that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God and is loved by God as they are. "The same moral obligation to respect and treat our bodies with dignity applies to people of all sexual orientation. However, the Church’s teaching in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted."

The programme for senior classes under Flourish also reveals students will be taught: "Puberty is a gift from God. We are perfectly designed by God to procreate with him." Flourish will teach that "sexual love belongs within a committed relationship," with "marriage as a sacrament of commitment," and urge students to be "Christ-like" in their decision-making. In response to the programme, Mick Barry told Newstalk Breakfast that he believes the programme in some cases could be harmful. He said: "People might think 'That's a bit over the top,' saying that teaching the way the Church does on sex education could be harmful. But in the report in the Irish Times this morning, it says the plan is to say that Church teachings cannot be omitted when it comes to discussing LGBT relationships. "So you have a child in the school who's LGBT, they're sitting there and they're listening to this class being taught by the teacher. Basically what the teacher is saying is that there's one type of relationship here, which is the type that God wants, and there are other types of relationships here which are different. "I don't think that that's helpful, and I would say that that is harmful." Barry suggested objective sex education on an age appropriate basis would be a better approach and that the Flourish programme raised "the whole issue of the need for separation of church and state".