A representative from the Campaign for Abortion Law Modernisation (CALM) was invited to speak about abortion and abortion reform at Ballakermeen High School recently at the inaugural meeting of the school’s newly-formed Voltaire Society.

Stephanie Kelsey from CALM spoke out in favour of reforming the island’s abortion laws while Dr Fiona Baker argued against abortion.

Deputy head Steve Pagan said, “This new club provides our students with a forum to consider big issues of the day.  The inaugural meeting went very well.  We are very grateful to Stephanie Kelsey and Dr Fiona Baker for their contributions.”

The society was formed by 6th Form Politics students, who had prepared questions for both speakers.  Those questions included, “Should individual religious views be taken into account when considering abortion legislation” and, “Is it better for a child to be wanted by its mother, rather than born just because she couldn’t get an abortion?”

“I was impressed by the maturity of the students’ questions,” said Stephanie Kelsey after the debate.  “It was excellent to have the opportunity to urge young people to join in this important debate and to encourage them to add their voices to any public consultation in the future.”

The students were not asked to vote on which side had won the debate at the end of the meeting, as the aim of the society is to encourage discussion rather than to decide who is right and who is wrong. “Although there was no vote, I did detect an appetite for a change in the law through the pro-choice slant of many of the students’ questions,” said Stephanie from CALM.
 
Photo - left to right Rebecca Stokes (member of the Voltaire Society), Rhys Westwell (President of the Voltaire Society), Stephanie Kelsey (CALM), Kate Ashton (Voltaire Society publicity team), Tom Williams (Voltaire Society Secretary).