Plans by Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to impose their sexual equalities agenda on schools are being contested in the May local elections by candidates standing for the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) party.
Following statements this year by David Cameron and Nick Clegg that they support Labour's plans for relationships outside of heterosexual marriage to be taught as normative to schoolchildren, the CPA is urging parents to assert their legal right for children to be brought up in conformity with their own Christian ethical stance.
The party is pledging that if elected, its councillors will fight to uphold Christian rights of conscience in all schools.
Speaking at a meeting this weekend in Kensington of the National Executive of the Christian Peoples Alliance, party leader, Cllr Alan Craig of Newham Council said:
'The leaders of our three main parties - Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg - have set themselves in favour of a sexual rights agenda that is opposed to 2,000 years of Church teaching. They seek to collapse Christian morality into a relatavistic heap - sowing confusion and worsening the problem of breakdown Britain.
We know sexual relationships happen outside of marriage and SRE must be taught with wisdom, respect and sensitivity. But what children need is a clear message: sex is a gift intended by God for a life-long marriage between one man and one woman. All other relationships are less than God's best.'
Under new Government guidelines issued this week, all schools - including faith schools - will be legally required to provide classes in sex and relationships. From the age of 11, pupils will be encouraged to debate issues surrounding sexual orientation, same-sex relationships and civil partnerships.
The Christian Peoples Alliance is pointing out that Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats oppose the biblical guidance that the primary responsibility for education lies with parents, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as article 26.3 'Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.'
They also point out that the secular parties also risk infringing Protocol 1 of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It provides that the state shall in exercising its functions in relation to education and teaching, 'respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religion and philosophical convictions'.
The Department for Schildren, Schools and Families announced last year that it will take forward all the major recommendations of the Teenage pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, including making Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) statutory from 2011. It also declared that parents' right to pull their children out of sex education classes in England will be ended once pupils turn 15. Under government plans for SRE, all schools including church schools must: 'teach all aspects of SRE within the context of relationships in an anti-discriminatory way; contraception, abortion and homosexuality are all legal in this country ...' The Government's review of SRE also requires schools to make 'explicit links to young people's advisory services and provision of contraception and sexual health services and demonstrate this by teaching people how to access services.'
Councillor Craig, who leads the Opposition on Newham Borough Council, added:
'All parents have a prior right to bring their children up according to their own values. Yet the secular parties want to impose an alien morality on all children, even Christian children. It is deeply troubling and illiberal for parents who seek to teach the ideals of faithfulness, purity and respect for life to their children in the home, to have teachers then totally undermine Christian morality by teaching the ambiguity of "anything goes" sex in the classroom.'