A mother in Germany has been sent to jail for refusing to pay a fine for taking her children out of government-run sex education classes.
According to a report in the Christian Institute based in the UK, Heinrich and Irene Wiens were initially fined €2,340 for refusing to send four of their children to the controversial classes in 2006.
However, when the couple, who believe that the lessons oppose their Christian beliefs, refused to pay the fine on moral and legal grounds they were each sentenced to 43 days imprisonment.
Lawyers representing a leading religious liberty group, the Alliance Defence Fund (ADF), have asked the European Court of Human Rights to intervene in the case.
ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska was quoted as saying: “Parents, not the government, are the ones ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children, and jailing them for standing on this universal right is simply unconscionable”.
“Irene Wiens was well within her rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to opt to teach her children a view of sexuality that is in accord with her own religious beliefs, instead of sending them to four days of classes and an interactive play that she found to be objectionable.”
The controversy stems from June 2006 when the Wiens refused to allow four of their children to attend a mandatory play and four days of sex education lessons.
Although school officials claim that the play aims to introduce preventative measures for sexual abuse among children, the Wiens warn that both the play and sex education lessons ultimately sexualise their children.
Home schooling is still illegal in Germany. Under the law, parents who choose to home school their children can face fines or even imprisonment.
Irene’s husband Heinrich has already served 43 days in prison from Aug 26 August to Oct 6.
