The teaching of relationships and sexuality should not be ethos-based, even in faith schools, according to an Taoiseach, Michael Martin. This would override parental choice and perhaps the Constitution as well.
He was responding to a question from TD Brid Smith in the aftermath of the killing of Ashling Murphy.
Ms Smith said it would be very important that the Taoiseach gives a commitment to changing the sex education regime for young boys and girls, and the key issue is that it has to be “non-ethos based”.
“Some 92% of our schools are run by the Catholic Church and that church, we believe, is incapable of delivering the non-ethos-based sex education that is required,” she said.
The Taoiseach agreed: “On relationships and sexuality education, I believe and agree that it should not be ethos-based – that is without question – and that a national curriculum should be implemented irrespective of the patronage of a school”.
