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30th October 2019
09:50pm GMT

Despite this, hundreds of letters - which suggest that the NCCA draft report is “adopting” the WHO document - have been printed and shared among parents. The letters, which were first printed in Donegal, call on parents to sign them and send them to the Department of Education.
The letters claim that Mr McHugh, the education minister, is supporting a recommendation where “young children would be exposed to and taught explicit sexual information.” It claims the WHO document is a “frightening attack on the innocence of childhood and on the family.”
The letters, which parents are encouraged to send to Mr McHugh, state:
“I have genuine concerns that the proposed RSE Changes are intended to sexualise children and generate conflict in accepting their own family values, culture and gender. Such changes will be the cause of much emotional upset in young children and will definitely undermine and deflect them from their Religious Faith Teachings.”
They also state:
“Will young boys and girls between 12-15 years come under peer pressure to become sexually active and use contraception? WILL THIS INCREASE THE RISK OF ACCUSATIONS OF STATUTORY RAPE?”
It is understood that over 200 of the letters have been sent to the Department of Education so far.
A source said that the letters have been shared with parents at four schools in Donegal. In one school, a teacher sent the letters home with children with a note encouraging parents to sign them.
Similar claims to those in the letters have also been made by A Parent’s Right.
The group is critical of plans to reform sex education. On its Facebook page, it has claimed:
“They will sexualise your child from a very young age by exposing them to adult sexual practices!”
The main spokeswoman for the group is Rebecca McNamee, who also goes by the name Rebecca McDaid.
In an interview with a right-wing blog, Ms McNamee claimed that “self-pleasure is the very first thing that will be taught to the children at the ages of 0-4.” She also claimed that the WHO document is “very, very much in the forefront of where we will be going with our sex education of the children.” Ms McNamee was giving an interview about "government plans for explicit sex education" but appeared to conflate the sex education review with a private members' bill from socialist TDs.
Ms McNamee was recently invited onto Virgin Media’s Ireland AM programme to debate sex education reforms with Ruth Coppinger, the Solidarity TD. Shortly after JOE contacted Ms McNamee on Wednesday, the A Parent’s Right Facebook page was deleted. In response to JOE, Ms McNamee said: "As a busy working parent, I cannot suspend my day to deal with every request of a frivolous nature I receive." She also asked for contact details for JOE's lawyer. Ms McNamee said that A Parents Right did not disseminate the letters which were sent to the Department of Education.
It’s understood that incorrect claims about sex education reforms have been spreading among parents in the west of the country.
JOE has seen a WhatsApp message which has been forwarded among parents which claims that the “proposed tyranny” of sex education reforms included the NCCA “insisting that parents want more Explicit Sex information” in schools. The message conflates the government review with a private members bill from Ms Coppinger, the solidarity TD.
“URGENT: TD’S Like Ruth Coppinger now want to Push ABORTION & PORN LITERACY in Schools!” the message said.
“One parent’s group have rightly described these recommendations as the 'Sexual Grooming' of children.”
It incorrectly claimed that the Oireachtas education committee had demanded the children were taught “early childhood masturbation.”
“This would be complete state control of our children and grandchildren and is pure filth,” the message said. Explore more on these topics:

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