Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 7 May 1992

Vol. 419 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Use of Schools in Abortion Campaign.

Mrs. Fennell

I considered it would be useful to give the Minister an opportunity to state clearly the official position with regard to the use of schools or school grounds in the cause of or to promote or campaign on the current issue of abortion. I contend that such should not be permitted on either side of the current discussion.

I have already received a telephone call from a number of parents in my constituency who have already noticed numerous posters in a local school and the school being used for meetings. One will appreciate the difficult position of parents. They are unlikely to want to complain directly for fear that any such action would influence or affect their children. Therefore it puts them on the spot.

My objective in raising this matter was to allow the Minister an opportunity to state the case officially, to enable schools become neutral zones, so that they will not be used by one side or the other. Teachers are concerned also. This surfaced at the TUI conference at Easter, when strong views were expressed by teachers that they should not be placed in the position of having to oppose any attempts of various groups to come into classrooms and put their case.

I did attend a separate meeting in a local national school one evening and saw wall-to-wall posters describing abortion as murder. We must accept that, in circumstances like these, parents must be allowed be the educators and informants of their children. It is not right to bombard young people with information on this kind of sensitive issue; I do not think they are able to comprehend it and it is wrong. Therefore we public representatives, and in particular the Minister for Education, have a responsibility to give a clear direction so that, in the following months, there will not be bitterness or division in schools, which I suspect could happen because there are significant political overtones to the current debate. Therefore, it would be very helpful if all of us, teachers and parents, knew exactly where we stood on this matter.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Mr. Aylward)

I thank Deputy Fennell for having raised this matter on the Adjournment this evening. I should say, first of all, that the use of school premises by out-of-school groups is a matter for the management authorities of the individual schools.

Having said that, I have no hesitation in agreeing fully with the sentiments behind the motion put down for this Adjournment Debate by the Deputy. It is the view of the Minister, and I agree fully, that schools should not be used in the debate on abortion issues by any of the proponents. It is particularly important, too, that the children in class would not be exposed to pressure by any of the active groups involved in the abortion debate.

The Minister was aware that organised groups might wish to use school premises for, or seek to address the students on, the issues involved. For this reason he arranged some weeks ago that officials of his Department would speak to the school managerial associations to make known his view that schools generally should not become embroiled in the abortion debate.

The reaction of the managerial associations was very positive. There is no doubt that their views are fully in accordance with those of the Minister. The managerial associations have advised their local school management authorities of the issues in question, advising that schools should not become involved in the debate.

I am convinced that the approach which has been adopted is the correct one in the circumstances. Apart from any other consideration the issue of a circular, such as the Deputy has in mind, might serve only to initiate a controversy about the use of school premises and, as such, would be counterproductive. However, I can assure the Deputy that the position will be carefully monitored.