Scotland | Update 3 | Editorial: The Section 28 effect

Scottish Update Issue 3 - The Newsletter of the Christian Institute Scotland

Editorial:
The Section 28 effect

By Colin Hart

Politicians! Do they ever actually listen to ordinary people? Well, yes sometimes they do. Here is an example. First Minister, Jack McConnell, has recently blocked plans to give out the morning after pill in schools (see page 11). That is no small thing. The Executive was definitely pushing the idea a year ago. Why the sudden change? Simply this: McConnell wants to avoid direct confrontations with family and Christian groups. That's the Section 28 effect.

Christians joined forces in a remarkable way against the repeal of Section 28, yet it was repealed despite over one million people voting against it. One or two people have asked me, if a million people voting in an independent referendum can be ignored by the politicians what is the point of making a stand on other issues? But perhaps those people didn't realise that two major battles were won in the fight to keep the clause.

First, important legal safeguards for parents were won. Parents must now be consulted on their child's sex education and the materials can be legally challenged where they are inappropriate. Those safeguards would not be in place if people had not made a stand.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the profile of the whole debate and the response of ordinary people made clear that there is widespread support for family values. Most Scots do not accept the anti-family agenda. 'Keep the Clause' was a great encouragement to Christians. The campaign had a powerful message which even sceptical politicians and journalists could not ignore.

When Christians make a courageous stand for morality on issues of public concern, they are a preserving influence. They are salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). Christians can provoke people's consciences which can then be a good influence on public opinion. This can be a real restraint on our politicians.

Even people who have no Christian faith see this. The atheist philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, said: "...such is the nature of man when clothed with power...[that] whatever mischief has not yet been actually done by him today, he is sure to be meditating today, and unless restrained by the fear of what the public may think and do, it may actually be done by him tomorrow."

It was because Christians spoke out that Jack McConnell changed the Executive's policy on the morning after pill. Holyrood is clearly now frightened of upsetting the public on issues of family values. Public opinion is one reason why Glasgow is taking a different view to Edinburgh over the 'sex industry'. Glasgow's Evangelicals, Roman Catholics and feminists appear to have joined forces to combat sleazy lap-dancing nightclubs (see article 11).

On the issue of smacking, the Executive's Deputy Justice Minister says he would prefer a total ban on smacking. But that is not what the Executive is proposing, it is planned that only some forms of smacking will be banned. This is because they are scared of upsetting the public. As it happens, even these lesser proposals have outraged people - and rightly so. In fact, a committee of MSPs seem to be particularly worried about the proposals to ban the smacking of under-threes (see article 4).

The very safeguards won in the Section 28 battle are now being used to protect children from inappropriate sex education materials. The Executive has been forced to change its policy on how it recommends materials (see article 8). This is largely the result of ordinary people making a stand at a local and national level.

The world will always need Christians to be salt and light. If we maintain our Christian distinctiveness and make sure that our salt does not lose its saltiness, then we will be "the salt of the earth" to carry out preserving work in a decaying world in desperate need of Christ's love and forgiveness.

Colin Hart, Director
The Christian Institute

Last year, Scottish Update reported that the Executive was pushing the ideas of giving out the morning after pill in schools. That has now been stopped by Jack McConnell. It is widely thought he wants to avoid confrontations with Christian and family groups. He doesn't want any more repeats of the Section 28 fiasco.

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