Humanists challenge Scottish ban on pupils opting out of religion

Current regulations only allow parents to opt out on their children's behalf. Picture: David Moir

Current regulations only allow parents to opt out on their children’s behalf but the society is calling for this to be extended to young people, as is the case in England and Wales.

The organisation is seeking a judicial review of the Scottish Government’s decision and has submitted legal papers to the Court of Session.

The society claims the Scottish Government has “potentially acted unlawfully” as a recent review by the United Nations Children’s Rights Committee recommended that the parental right to opt out of religious observance should be extended to young people.

Chief executive Gordon MacRae said: “Today in Scotland young people are trusted to get married, join the Army and vote in elections and for the constitutional future of Scotland.

“However, Scottish ministers still do not trust them to make their own decisions about attending religious observance or to give young people the same rights as those living in England and Wales.

“For some time now, Humanist Society Scotland has been calling on the Scottish Government to update its policy on religious observance.

“I had hoped that if they would not listen to us then at least they would listen to the United Nations Children’s Rights Committee.

“We have worked with a number of organisations and individuals over the years to seek to reform religious observance, most notably the Church of Scotland in 2014, with whom we issued a joint call for reform.

“Sadly our efforts to seek progressive reform of this outdated requirement of Scottish education has failed. The Scottish Government’s policy on religious observance is a mess, a classic political fudge. Our young people deserve better.”

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