to be disturbed that my DD was shown this anti-abortion video

[Tanga]

DD (15) came home saying that she'd been shown a video of 'the baby's view of abortion' in her RE class today. She was pretty horrified (both for herself and on behalf of one of her friends who has had an abortion)which I'd guess would be a fairly typical response, but she went on to make some wildly innacurate comments about the proceedure (some very graphic so I'll spare you) so I asked her what it was she'd actually been shown.

It's called 'The Silent Scream' (written in Hammer horror style lettering) and I've googled it and am fairly appalled. It's (IMO) an anti-abortion piece of propaganda made in the '80's and is riddled with innaccuracies.

Is this a normal video to show a class of teenagers? It was presented as fact, BTW, and as 'the most humane method of abortion' by the RE teacher.

this is so shocking i can hardly believe it. NO WAY are you being unreasonable. I would write to my MP about this if I didn't get a cast iron in writing assurance from the head that this was a mistake and would never be repeated. Unbelievable. So damaging for children to see this kind of warped shit about abortion. Are they going to show a film of someone having a mastectomy to highlight dangers of cancer? I cannot actually believe this has happened, in england, in 2010. You need to do some serious complaining - you are utterly utterly in the right and the stupid sanctimonious teacher can shove her unblemished record up her arse - she has shown a very disturbing piece of propaganda to a bunch of children, without their parents consent. IF any parents do approve of their children being shown such shocking material, as they hope they will become teen mums ASAP, then they can access this film on the internet and put it up on big screens all around their houses on a loop - no need to inflict the same on your poor DD and others with rational parents.
SO SHOCKING!

Sorry jenai - no I have never known one to be filmed. I should have phrased that 'would not have wanted to, had the option been available' but I'm on iPhone and trying to be conservative with the typing!!

Take it further, OP. Have found this for you

prochoicechristian1.blogspot.com/2009/11/silent-scream-is-lie.html

also this

prochoicechristian1.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-on-silent-scream.html

Tell your head of department you are even more concerned after talking to the teacher that she seems to think it is "scientific". She must have done some work at some point in her education about analysing sources?

yy, LongTall is absolutely right in that the teacher's belief that this film is "scientific" is a matter for serious concern.

to OP I was shown that back in the day in a RE class, I would have been 14-15, so well over 20 yrs ago, I remember that the teacher at the time said that it had been shown to the Cardinals and the Pope and that some had fainted in horror

anyway they said we could choose to watch or go out class, I think it should not be shown to children at all, I would complain, fostering fear and traumatising them is not a way to promote responsible sex and family planning

Bubblemummy said that she found MN , sadly to be pro-choice.
I thought MN did quite a good job of being both/neither. A poster who posts, often finds support whatever 'camp'/ difficulty they are in.
If anything at all, seeing as its a parenting site, I would say MN was very slightly pro-life, if anything.
Strange how she and I have totally different perseptions of MN.

Can we be pro-life and pro-choice?

I'm both, but disagree with abortion as an alternative to contraception. I don't believe that women should be able to choose to kill a baby without an extremely compelling reason, but I do believe that we should have choice as much as possible in life, however not to libertarian extremes. I'm also pretty sure that those in the "pro-choice" camp don't believe that you should be free to choose to do anything you want ie. rape, murder etc, and they are no less "pro-life" than I. "Pro-choice" pretties up a rather horrible subject, whereas "pro-life" is frankly insulting to the other side.
Maybe we should change the terminology.

Pro- and anti-abortion seems less ambiguous flowery to me.

loopy agree with you that the terms are unhelpful and rather propagandist.

"anti abortion" is a better term than pro life.

I can't really think of a better term for "pro choice". you can't say "pro abortion" as no-one is "pro abortion" really. Just as no-one is "anti life".

I suppose you could say "pro foetus" and "pro woman" which would make it clear who the different camps give priority to?

If you do not get a satisfactory response from the Head (writing to the governors is also a good idea) Tanga, I would take it to the media.

I think the abortion activists who murder doctors are anti-life, by definition. Once did a vanity google and one result that came up was an anti-abortionist hit list - inciting people to go out and kill doctors and nurses. So much for being 'pro' life!

Edam are you serious??! That's insane!

Really scary stuff. How do people get to be so twisted?

I am an RE teacher and the only abortion videos I show are Panorama ones discussing very late abortions and which focus on the women and the doctors involved, rather than the actual procedures.

I always warn the students before the section on abortion starts as I am happy to arrange for them to the work in the library, and when showing the video, I give a week's warning, and advise if anyone doesn't want to see it, then I will make arrangements for them to do written work elsewhere; and to come and see me in a break time to organise that.

We discuss for and against, the law; and what the boys think as well, and normally the views expressed by the students are well balanced. I push no particular line; although I am pro-choice, I have become less so since having a child, and disapprove of abortion as contraception.

I stand with Loopy on this - I hate abortion but would never see the law in this country changed.

It's not my place to make such a blanket choice for anyone, not even myself, because I don't know what circumstances may be behind the choice.

I object to grown women using it as a form of contraception. I'm ninety-nine point nine percent certain that I couldn't ever do it myself but, as my husband says 'don't ever say never...'

In fact, I have an unusual viewpoint on this because, despite being, for the most part anti-abortion, two years ago I helped my then-fifteen year old sister with hers.

I took her to the clinic, I held her hand, I looked after her while she recovered. I hated myself for doing it... but she doesn't (and will never) know that.

It was her choice and, I suspect, given everything, the right one for her.

Two years on, I'm pretty certain I feel more guilty and more haunted by my involvement than she does, something that's been bothering me particularly since I had my own DD. She should have a cousin - she doesn't and I helped with that. But that's a separate thread.

Regardless of personal opinion on the subject, it is not one to make for anyone else. And this teacher appears to be doing just that.

Tell her, if she's so bothered about protecting unborn babies, to concentrate her efforts on tecahing decent contraception to these kids.

In fact, you might want to mention that notion to the Head in your meeting, OP. If there are two abortions already in your daughter's class, then there's an issue that needs addressing.

jesus I really can't believe the teacher's response.

Take it to the head for sure, or further if you can.

OP, there's a charity called Education for Choice, which aims to provide balanced, sensitive learning about abortion within schools. Might be worth making contact with them; I'm sure they've had plenty of experience of arguing against showings of The Silent Scream!

ginnybag I too am pro-life, but as I said before was a post-abortion counsellor at a pregnancy crisis centre.

The fact is your sister would have made that choice with or without you, and she probably would have been a lot more traumatised/scared if she'd had to go through it alone. I'm glad she had you to go with her.

I think this is where the 'pro-choice' (for want of a better title) group get the idea that we are 'anti-women' from. IMO the 'pro-life' group should be doing a much better job of supporting women through any choices they make, not just the ones we agree with!!

sorry am lolling at bog standard vera drake shown in every school int he land

lol

YANBU My dc attend a Catholic school and our church has professional trained people to come in and help people suffering with post abortion trauma in group once a week for which the Reverend is not present just the counselor and the group. It also has flyers up on the notice board for teenagers both family planning and a Marie Stopes Flyer where you can phone and speak to someone.

I would be livid if my dc were shown this film.

I'm depressed at the response of the teacher.

How can someone in a position of power be so blinkered.

That film IS NOT factually correct. And I am proud you are taking ths on op. Good on you, right behind you [in a cyber type way].

I thnk you have good grounds to take ths to the governers and futher. If the 'teachng' in class is actually upsetting pupils who are affected by the topics, then this is very serious.

Abuse, murder and rape cannot be portrayed in this graphc way, on the off chance a pupil may be a potential abuser, murdered or rapist. So even in the event the teacher is totally unable to seperate abortion from those foul crimes, as is her right, she has no grounds what so ever to use brutal, damaging and traumatic films n this way.

The teacher also seems to think it is ok to sling a disabled baby in a bin bag, but not a nice normal one. Because that's what happens to aborted babies. It's in the film. Must be true.

And that's ok.

Excuse me. But Fucking Hell!!!!

Or maybe abortions on disabled babies are done in a different way that make it ok. What with them being disabled, and that woman being worthy of such treatment [maybe the real treatment?? Involving medical care and good support with oppurtunities to explore your decision]

There is so much wrong here!!!

TANGA this video was shown to me when I was 14/15, my mum and I were so distraught by it, that my mum kicked up a huge fuss. The school said no one had ever complained before, so my mum invited them to offer to show the parents of all the other kids from my year - which did happen, needless to say, a lot changed re how the syllabus was followed, and that was never shown again at my high school.

The parents were discusted/

Gracie123 - coming belatedly to your reply, but as we all know, sometimes young girls don't have the skills to say no to unwanted sex, or even the knowledge to understand what is happening to them. Obviously I'm talking about extremes, but as someone else said, the teacher concerned would be far better employed teaching her class assertiveness and self-esteem and where to get contraception if they must have sex. Abortion is an absolute last resort for most people - it's wrong to terrify people into not making the right decision for them.

That's a good idea. Show it to the parents. Do it yourself! Email it, distribute it and link it on bloody fb if you have to.

missm I wasn't saying she was right! Only that the argument would probably do little to persuade her that she'd done anything wrong IYSWIM.

Incidentally, the idea that teenage girls don't have the skills or knowledge to say no and should therefore be gievn contraception is outrageous too. It's basically condoning rape and saying it's fine because there are no consequences.

As you say, I think more time and money needs to be put into assertiveness and self esteem education to ensure that these situations do not occur rather than assuming that they will and accepting it as the norm.

Sorry for the rant, I just reread your post and not sure it warranted it

It's a subject I'm very passionate about, as part of the crisis centres outreach programme was to go and talk in schools about the emotional side of sex. This is actually very rarely covered in most schools where they teach the mechanics of how it works and then hand out contraception so you don't get an sti.

My youngest client was 11 and her boyfriend had told her he was on the pill she'd had a vague sex ED class and thought that meant she couldn't get pregnant.

Our kids don't just need a science class on this stuff where they switch off and only half hear the information. It needs to be taught and dealt with in a thorough manner from every aspect and angle involved.