Parents should be able to choose the ethos behind their child’s RSE class, according to Aontu TD Peadar Tóibín who was speaking in a Dail debate on the review of RSE in Ireland.

The Meath West TD said it would be a “massive mistake to go down the route of uniformity with regard to ethos in sex education.”

“Parents should be able to raise their children within their own values and ethos. Forcing one value system on all parents, a mandatory ethos against the wishes of parents and children, would simply seek to replace the stifling uniformity of the past with the reverse now.”

He specifically criticised comments by TD Ruth Coppinger saying that while the Catholic Church “should not determine the ethos of the sex education of all the children in Irish society, neither should Deputy Coppinger”.

She had earlier claimed that “some right-wing and religious fundamentalist groups are now targeting the area of sex education, and oppose any change or progress in it”.

She further claimed they “tend to focus on sex and gender. However, RSE is about healthy relationships, interacting with others, dealing with difficult situations and much more.”

Chair of the Oireachtas committee Fiona O’Loughlin of Fianna Fáil disagreed with Deputy Toibin’s stance. She said parents should have the right to bring up their children in the ethos and the faith in which they choose to do so. “However, this is not about ethos; it is about health, health education and equipping young people with the skills and confidence they need to navigate this world.”