Welsh Compulsory Sex Education Plans For Children Face Legal Challenge By Parents

The High Court in Wales has given a group opposed to plans to make relationship and sexuality education (RSE) compulsory the right to challenge it in the courts.

The Welsh government is making the changes in its new curriculum which will be launched in primary schools in September this year, and in secondary schools in 2023..

Public Child Protection Wales say parents will be disenfranchised from their right to remove children from sex education classes.

Though the Welsh government says pupils will learn topics that are age appropriate, part of the plans makes it impossible for parents to remove their children from RSE classes.

The Welsh relationship and sexuality education code says that “over time, learners can explore how relationships, sex, gender, romantic and sexual attraction and personal experiences may shape and inform a person’s identity and individuality”.

Public Child Protection Wales, which has won the right to seek a judicial review into the plan, believe mandatory teaching will mean “very young children will be introduced to sensitive and inappropriate topics, such as gender ideology, and that they will be disenfranchised by being denied their time-honoured right to remove their child from sex education”.

A claimant in the case, Kim Isherwood, said Children should not be used for political ideological experiments in relation to identity and sexuality.

However, High Court judge, Justice Turner, in granting the group’s request, said the issues raised on behalf of the claimants “involve the consideration of complex constitutional matters with potentially very significant consequences for both parents and children”.

The group said the case will be heard in the High Court in Cardiff with a date yet to be set.