Cranmer in his post Teaching abortion in an ‘enlightened’ and ‘non-judgmental’ way gives a good analysis of the way in which terms like "non-judgemental" are being used to erode the freedoms for Catholics and others that developed over three centuries. As he rightly says:
One cannot be ‘neutral’ about sex, sexuality or the sanctity of life without being indifferent.Joanna Bogle gets to the key point that many clergy and laity now have no confidence in the CES and that a fresh start is needed.
7 comments:
Father
It seems to me that in teaching young people in schools about abortion, the so called ‘balanced view’ can be given without compromising our faith, and is an opportunity rather than a crisis. There is a lot of evidence nowadays (see for example the paper by Fr Dylan James in Faith magazine) to demonstrate scientifically that the personhood of the embryo is determined from the first minutes after conception so that throughout gestation, the embryo / foetus is a real person. We also now have ultrasound pictures of the baby at various weeks of gestation, heartbeat etc. This becomes then a powerful scientific argument for prolife. Of course we can say that there are those who take the opposite view, though it is rather difficult that with all the biological evidence to hand, to see how one can be devil’s advocate apart from intoning the sterile mantra of a ‘woman’s right to choose’.
With regard to the business of explaining how to access abortion, this might be done by saying that abortion is legal up to 24 weeks and up to birth for special needs babies, contrasting this with legislation in other countries, talk about the various reasons for a ‘legal abortion’, give some statistics and discuss them; point out that abortion has a risk factor (though not for everyone) and these are set out on the doctor’s form that people have to sign up to and mention that two(?) GPs must sign off permission and therefore the GP is the first port of call for this step. I don’t see why Catholic schools or any other schools should provide advertisements for BPAS or Marie Stopes. Finally, advise girls that if they become pregnant, talk to their parents if they can, think about the person who is developing in your womb, think, think, think before they are tempted to do something irrevocable.
A woman has a right to choose - after all she has free will - but she also has a right to know what the facts are.
With regard to putting across the abortion issues, LIFE could be approached with advantage. LIFE has been giving talks to schools for years now, and could render valuable assistance and advice. Teachers in Catholic schools may need to be given the appropriate training and training materials. Perhaps LIFE could prepare these teacher training packs and carry out the training. Perhaps Mr Balls will provide money for this supplementary training(!)
With regard to sexuality, there is so much that is hidden from view concerning homosexual life styles that we could welcome getting the facts out into the open. The incidence of AIDS / HIV is one aspect that can be made clear and also the life expectancy of those in such lifestyles. Again, we would want to base teaching on hard irrefutable biological fact – or government approved statistics - something the gay community might find a bit uncomfortable.
On the one hand they are forcing Sex Education on our five year olds and next we read this in todays news.
Children 'over-exposed to sexual imagery'
By Dominic Casciani
BBC News
Children are being increasingly exposed to sexual imagery and their parents have limited opportunities to stop it, a report for the Home Office warns.
The report calls for tougher regulation of sexual imagery in adverts and a ban on selling "lads' mags" to under-16s.
It also recommends selling mobile phones and games consoles with parental controls automatically switched on.
Author Dr Linda Papadopoulos said there was a clear link between sexualised imagery and violence towards females.
Her report said the material children were being exposed to included the growth of lads' mags and pornography on mobile phones, through to big-name fashion brands using sexual imagery to advertise clothes targeted at young teenagers......
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at Kent University, said society as a whole and adults were to blame.
He said: "The whole of society is hypersexualised - sex becomes the common currency through which adults make their way in the world and continually send a signal to children that sex is all that matters.
"One of the big problems that we are faced with is that increasingly adults have lost the capacity to draw a line between their own attitudes and those of children and increasingly we're recycling adult attitudes about sex through the prism of children."
Please read the whole article and realise that the government is totally demented. One moment they are forcing our children to be sexually active and the abort the consequences next minute they are writing reports about the harm sexually explicit material can do
Tory leader David Cameron said earlier this month that he would clamp down on irresponsible advertising targeted at children.
He also mooted the idea that parents should be able to complain about offensive marketing tactics used by companies, via a specially set-up website.
Such moves were needed to stop children being "bombarded" with inappropriate material, he said.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "We know that parents are concerned about the pressures their children are under at a much younger age, which is why we have already committed to a number of the recommendations in this report.
So they will limit sexual material being displayed via the media and just hand it out in schools??????
This is beyond me!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8537734.stm
"Government-CES-PSHE roundup",
Sorry Fr Tim, but all that comes to my mind reading your post heading is.... :-)
YEEEEE!!!!... HAAAA!!!! Hey! Rowdy - git them horses and men together!!! Take Gil and Jason with you. We've got ourselves a roundup!!! YAHHH! Get them doggies moving boyzzz! More beans and coffee Wishbone - after the roundup there'll surely be a hangin'!!!
Anyone remember Rawhide?
I also listened to the comments of Prof Frank Furedi. While I thought his views generally echoed the concerns that Christians have been making for years, I can't help reflecting that his wife Ann Furedi is a high profile advocate for increased access to abortion, is chief executive of BPAS and is one of the 'brains behind' the proposals last year to advertise abortion services on TV and radio.
A bit of double-think here surely?
Father, my wife refused to teach contracetption in a Catholic school to Year 8 children. She was then not permitted to teach Year 8 at all, called an "Fxxxxxx axxxxxxx" by her head of department. Told by the headteacher if one more complaint about her appeared he would instigate dsiciplinary action. The Monsigneur priest Governor played the game of hat wearing and said he could only talk to her as one or the other as a priest he would not pass anything on as a governor he would have to pass everything on and there could be no confidentiality. The priest was told about the duplicitous nature of his conduct. The headteacher was frank and told my wife he does not agree with the Church in the area of contracpeption. She was the only one of five teachers to object. Her parish priest refused to support her but thought her conscience should be respected.
What is now public i.e. the Catholic church in England and Wales is, in the main, entirely complicit with the relativistic secular sexualisation of our young children. To differ in a Catholic institution whether it be CAFOD, CES, a primary, secondary school or college leads currently nowhere - or the dole queue. Thank you father for stnading up. May God reqards you with many graces in this life and the life to come. When in doubt Father remember please the hope you bring to others with your witness.
Well done Mrs Fidelisjoff!!!!
A Catholic school in name only obviously. That head of department or whatever should lose his/her head if I had my way! Yes and the governors and head too.
What kind of a poorly formed, unholy alliance runs Catholic schools these days! Makes me sick (and proud at the same time when you hear that some teachers are prepared to object) to hear of such stories - but your wife Fidelisjoff stood up for our Blessed Lord and His Church - in the fullness of time He will reward her for her faithfullness.
God Bless.
Our Catholic Schools are no longer educating our children for God but for the world!!!
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