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Controversial sex education to be statutory from age 5

On 11 November the government accepted all the major recommendations of the 2007/08 report by the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group. In a written ministerial statement, the Department for Children, Schools and Families said:

'The Government has taken forward all the major recommendations including making sex and relationships education statutory within Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education from 2011.'

These recommendations include:

• Government should make Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) astatutory subject at all key stages, and ensure it is also delivered in non-school settings so that all children and young people get good quality Sex and Relationships Education (SRE).
• ... state clearly that all schools including faith schools must teach all aspects of SRE within the context of relationships in an anti-discriminatory way; contraception, abortion and homosexuality are all legal in this country and therefore all children and young people should be able to learn the correct facts.
• Government should continue to provide strong leadership to champion theTeenage Pregnancy Strategy - with ministers across government departments publicly explicit in their support. This is particularly important if local staff are attacked in the media for providing innovative SRE, or school drop-in services.

If implemented, children from starting school onwards will be indoctrinated with the almost values-free approach to sexual behaviour which the government has championed but which has failed. TPIAG itself admits 'Although the teenage pregnancy rate is decreasing, England still has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Western Europe' and they are not the body primarily responsible for reducing sexually transmitted infections...

Further, the right to choose children's education in this area is likely in future to be removed from parents. This would contravene Article 26(3) of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

'Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.'

For further information:

Steven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668

Media Enquiries:

Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225

About CMF:

Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.

CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.