by Michael Nugent on May 9, 2018
Minister for Education Richard Bruton has announced plans to prohibit State-funded primary schools run by the Catholic Church from discriminating in access on the ground of religion, but which will allow State-funded schools run by minority religions to continue to discriminate on the ground of religion if they are oversubscribed.
Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, welcome the first part of this announcement. Despite our very different world views, we campaign together for a State-funded secular education system that respects equally everybody’s constitutional and human rights in our schools.
This welcome development is part of a pattern of Irish Governments starting to address the breaches in our schools of the rights of secular and minority faith students. Recently, as a result of our intensive campaigning over many years on a human rights basis:
- Parents and students are now more aware of their constitutional and human rights to not be discriminated against;
- Schools are no longer legally obliged to integrate religion throughout the school day;
- ETB second level schools must now give pupils a timetabled alternative to religion;
- The majority of primary schools will now have to stop discriminating on the ground of religion in access to schools;
- Also, under this Bill, schools will have to tell parents what their arrangements are for opting out of religion.
However, these welcome developments on their own will not end the breaches of constitutional and human rights in our schools. Contrary to caricature slogans, this issue is not about baptism certs. It is about changing the culture of our schools. It is about respecting the fundamental human rights principle of the right to equal participation in all aspects of State-funded schools for all children, regardless of the religious or nonreligious beliefs of their parents.
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by Michael Nugent on May 4, 2018
Are you still undecided about the referendum? Do you want to know more about the history of the amendment, medical issues, views from maternity services and the rape crisis network, and the practicalities of canvassing?
Atheist Ireland held an Information Evening yesterday about why we should repeal the eighth amendment, with expert speakers on all of these issues. Here is video of the six speakers at the event:
- Ashling O’Brien of Atheist Ireland introducing the speakers
- Treasa McVeigh of Together For Yes talking about the history of the amendment
- Dr Mark Murphy of Doctors For Choice talking about medical issues
- Dr Krysia Lynch, Chair of AIMS (Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services)
- Dr Cliona Saidléar, Executive Director of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland
- Bernadette Grogan of Together For Yes talking about canvassing for repeal
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by Michael Nugent on April 19, 2018
Atheist Ireland is delighted that Solidarity’s Objective Sex Education Bill has passed its first vote today in the Dail. It will now go on to be debated at Committee stage.
Along with our allies in other groups who support this Bill, we will now lobby members of the Oireachtas Education Committee to ensure that the Bill passes the further stages required to become law.
The Bill is supported by Atheist Ireland, the Rape Crisis Network, the National Women’s Council, the Irish Family Planning Association, LGBTQI+ advocacy group ShoutOut, and the Union of Students in Ireland.
Atheist Ireland raised this issue last year at the United Nations, who recommended that Ireland should introduce compulsory scientifically objective sex education into school curricula.
Atheist Ireland supports Solidarity’s repeated political initiatives to bring about an ethical secular state where everybody’s rights are equally respected.
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by Michael Nugent on April 9, 2018
