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Mom Jailed for Living a Holy Life
Mother of twelve jailed in Germany for refusing to enroll children in sex ed classes
BY MATTHEW CULLINAN HOFFMAN
Wed Feb 23, 2011 14:26 EST
Tags: Christian, Germany, Homeschooling, Sex-Ed
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GERMANY, February 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A mother of twelve has been sentenced to 43 days in jail in the German town of Salzkotten for refusing to enroll her children in the sex education program in a local elementary school, according to two German Catholic news sites, Kath.net and Katholishes.info.
The woman, whose name is not revealed in the articles, is reportedly a Baptist who is opposed to the program based upon her religious convictions. The couple says that their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Germany is a signatory, are being ignored.
They cite article 2 of the convention's first protocol, which states: "the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions." The local elementary school has reportedly ignored this right since 2005, and is being supported by the judiciary.
The woman's husband says that "his wife has really missed her family, but finds her solace in God" according to Kath.net, which also reports that the younger children "miss their mother," but that suffering injustice is part of the experience of being Christian.
The persecution of Germans who homeschool or reject government sex education is an ongoing phenomenon. In April of last year the website Kopp Online reported several cases of German mothers who reside in Salzkotten spending up to a week in jail for refusing the local sex ed program for their children. Similar persecution was reported in the same town, which is located in the district of Paderborn, in December of 2009.
In January of 2010 a German family was granted asylum in the United States after years of harassment by the German government for homeschooling their children.
The above story uncovers the lie that democratic countries will protect the religious freedom of its citizens. The secular state will tolerate religious belief as long as it doesn't interfere with the values of the state. We in Canada must be wary of what the state is trying to impose on us in terms of sex education programs. It's shocking that a mom is in jail for not sending her kids to school. But it could never happen in Canada, right? Don't be too sure. If the jackboots are marching in democratic Germany against helpless moms, who's to say they won't soon march elsewhere. We must be vigilant. We must speak to protect the freedoms we now have.
February 24, 2011, Author: Royal Hamel