The teachers took us to the hall, saying they were under instructions not to tell us what we were going there for. Once there, we weren’t allowed to leave – teachers were posted at the doors.” The lecturer was Barbara McGuigan, an American evangelist and founder of the Catholic charity Voice of Virtue International. “She told us that if we had an abortion we’d go to hell for ever, and she showed pictures of foetuses aborted after 12 and 20 weeks. Some of the girls were in tears, but no one was allowed to leave,” says Michael.
McGuigan also told them that homosexuality was a “disorder”, that a person who was homosexual must adopt a life of chastity, and that no unmarried couple could have a successful relationship.
This is at a Kent, Catholic (of course) school. One recently taken over in the merger of three, successful institutions to form this one, unsuccessful one. (Story in the Education Guardian.)
And the treatment of the pupils sounds very like false imprisonment to me – as does attempts to force pupils over the age of 16 to attend Mass.
Still, the positive side is that at least we can be sure most of the pupils will be put off religion, hopefully for life.
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