On the one hand, gay rights won in a Supreme Court battle in 1994 have finally been enshrined in Alberta’s Human Rights Laws. On the other hand, parents have now been granted the right to pull their children out of discussions happening in the school around sexuality and sexual orientation.
There has been a great deal of debate in the media on all sides as to the extent of parental rights in the school system as well as how far the legislation will reach into the classroom.
Parents have always had the right to opt their children out of religious instruction and sexual education. It is no longer clear, however, just how far parents will be able to go in controlling the curriculum. Will teachers still be able to encourage open and honest discussion in the classroom? That still remains to be seen.
AIDS Calgary remains in opposition to Bill 44 for a few reasons:
- The new laws place a burden on human rights legislation that would be more correctly dealt with through the School Act.
- Alberta has some of the highest rate of STI transmission in the country. Legislature that erects more barriers to education around safer sex and healthy sexuality will do no good in reducing those rates.
- A muzzle on discussions of familial differences (such as children of same sex parents or children of immigrants with different religious backgrounds) makes it more difficult to provide a diverse education. Additionally, children from these ‘different’ families may face further stigmatization at school.
Despite numerous protests from groups around Alberta and strenuous debate from the opposition parties, Bill 44 passed easily into law this past Tuesday night.
Echoing Janet Keeping’s sentiment in her editorial on the issue in the May 21st edition of the Calgary Herald, “law reform doesn’t come much worse than Bill 44”.
Bill 44: A rights disaster – Calgary Herald
Bill 44 debate give parents an unfair rap – Calgary Herald
2 comments:
This type of legislation prevents ALL children from receiving an education based on multiple perspectives. It is degrading and inappropriate to single out sexual orientation regardless of how anyone interprets the rest of the Bill. I personally think sexuality and religion should also be talked about in classrooms, are they not part of the human experience?
In my humble opinion all children should be exposed to the school information. I fail to understand why parents want their children protected from such vital information.? This is very difficult for children when parents treatment them differently than their peers.
How do parents expect their children to become responsible citizens when they don't give them the opportunity to be exposed basic life information.
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