Classrooms are not the place for abortion propaganda

Carla Lockhart MP • June 27, 2023

Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart has said the NIO must make clear that teachers with a moral objection to abortion will not face discrimination or career penalty for refusing to implement the Governments proposals in relation to the RSE curriculum.

Carla Lockhart said:

 

“I despair that the NIO seem determined to make our classrooms a place where the ending of human life is promoted and normalised.

 

We should be teaching our children and young people about hope, about the value of life, about every life reaching its potential. Instead, we now have a diktat from the Secretary of State that imposes abortion propaganda on your young people. It is a sad indictment on the priorities of some.

 

In recent weeks many head teachers and teachers have contacted me expressing their concern that their right to religious belief, and their position on the right to life, will now be used to discriminate against them in the workplace. Teaching staff must have the right to opt-out, and it is important by exercising that right, that they face no penalty either directly, or indirectly by hindering career progression.

 

I have raised these matters with the Secretary of State. We must have clarity on these issues and safeguarding of important rights for those who believe abortion to be wrong.”

Share

By Carla Lockhart MP March 25, 2026
DUP Agriculture spokesperson, Carla Lockhart MP, has criticised the Education Authority for its lack of transparency, following confirmation that halal meat is being unknowingly served in Northern Ireland schools.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 25, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has called on the Government to urgently provide clear guidance on the protection of single-sex spaces in workplaces, following a cross-party meeting at Westminster with nurses involved in high-profile legal cases.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has pledged her support for improved palliative and end of life care services following her attendance at Marie Curie ’s Great Daffodil Appeal event in Parliament.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has welcomed a strong turnout at the launch of her Church Funding Booklet at Oxford Island, with more than 140 people in attendance from churches and faith-based organisations across the constituency and beyond.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has welcomed the launch of a new initiative aimed at supporting women and mothers in Lurgan.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has praised the generosity of the local community and the dedication of volunteers after taking part in a Northern Ireland-wide Big Bucket Collection in Banbridge in support of Evora Hospice .
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart , has spent a busy Saturday attending a wide range of community, church and charity events across the constituency.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart has paid tribute to Mrs Esther Halliday from Waringstown following an extraordinary 55 years of service within the Health Trust, including more than four decades dedicated to maternity care. 
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has reaffirmed her support, calling for stronger protections for local farmers, after attending a Westminster reception hosted jointly by the NFU, RSPCA and WWF.
By Carla Lockhart MP March 24, 2026
Carla Lockhart MP has called for urgent action to expand access to the Safe Operation of Tractors training for young people, warning that current limitations risk undermining vital farm safety efforts.