Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 21 October 2019 - Strasbourg

Criminalisation of sexual education in Poland (debate)

  Rasmus Andresen, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, people should have the right to learn about love and sexuality. When young people have questions about their gender and sexuality, they need answers. Science is telling us that some young people already at the age of 12 or 13 are beginning to have questions about their sexuality, about love or about their body.

It is important that young people get answers. It is important that they learn to love, to say no, and to get self-confidence. The worst thing you can do is to ban sex education. If you ban sex education in public schools, young people will ask others or they will be anxious. We should trust public school teachers and we should support age appropriate sex education in each Member State. We should support equal rights for women, for LGBTI and for all young people who want to live in freedom.

The Polish government is creating fear. It is the worst thing you can do to young people when you are creating fear and when they can’t live in freedom about love or their sexuality. Worst affected will be young women and queer people in Poland. Young women should learn about their rights from a young age. They are mostly hit by sexual violence and suicidal thoughts are much bigger among young queer people than in others in Poland and in each and every Member State.

The Polish bill is a bill in a row of many initiatives discriminating young women and young queer people in Poland. For us the Greens, it is important to stand in solidarity with queer activists, with feminists in Poland and to say ‘you are not alone!’ You are right and you have us on your side. Still, it is the Polish government or maybe the Polish Court that will decide about the ban but still in the European Parliament there are MEPs listening and supporting you.