'Chastity ring' girl loses case
A 16-year-old girl was not discriminated against when she was
banned from wearing a "purity ring" in school, the High Court has
ruled.
Lydia Playfoot was told by Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex,
to remove her ring - which symbolises chastity - or face
expulsion.
The school had denied breaching her human rights and said it was
"delighted" with the outcome.
Miss Playfoot said she was "very disappointed" by the
decision.
She said the ruling would "mean that slowly, over time, people such
as school governors, employers, political organisations and others
will be allowed to stop Christians from publicly expressing and
practising their faith".
'Tinged with regret'
Judge Michael Supperstone QC said the school, which had insisted
the ring was not an essential part of the Christian faith, was
"fully justified" in its actions.
He ruled the act of wearing a ring was not "intimately linked" to
the belief in chastity before marriage.
"The claimant (Miss Playfoot) was under no obligation, by reason of
her belief, to wear the ring, nor does she suggest that she was so
obliged," he said.
He rejected the submission that the ring was a "religious artefact"
and therefore exempt from the school's uniform policy which bans
jewellery.
"Whatever the ring is intended to symbolise, it is a piece of
jewellery," he said. "...she voluntarily accepted the uniform
policy of the school and there are other means open to her to
practise her belief without undue hardship or inconvenience."
The government's sex education programme is not working and the
pressure on young people to 'give in' to sex continues to
increase
Lydia Playfoot
Headmaster Leon Nettley said: "Whilst we are clearly delighted with
the outcome of the court hearing today, our success is tinged with
regret that proceedings have needed to progress to this
level."
He added that the school is not anti-Christian and the Christian
doctrine is reflected in the "curriculum and life of the school
community in many ways".
"We have always respected Lydia's right to hold and express her
views and believe there were many ways in which it was possible for
her to do this during her time with us," he said.
Miss Playfoot was one of a group of 11 girls at her school who
joined a movement called the Silver Ring Thing.
Originating in America, members wear a ring engraved with a
reference to the biblical verse I Thessalonians 4:3-4, which
translates as: "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear
of all sexual sin. Then each of you will control your body and live
in holiness and honour."
'Focus on sex'
Miss Playfoot said she should be allowed to wear the ring because
Sikh and Muslim pupils could wear bangles and headscarves in
class.
"Over two years ago, I was concerned at the number of teenagers who
were catching sexually transmitted diseases, getting pregnant
and/or having abortions," she said.
"The government's sex education programme is not working and the
pressure on young people to 'give in' to sex continues to
increase.
"This is often because of the media's focus on sex and the
expectations of others."
The school said the ring contravened its uniform policy and when
Miss Playfoot refused to take it off, she was taken out of lessons
and made to study on her own.
At an earlier hearing at the High Court in London in June, human
rights barrister Paul Diamond said the school was "forbidden" by
law to set itself up as an arbiter of faith.
"Secular authorities cannot rule on religious truth," he
said.
Mr Diamond, who also represented Nadia Eweida in the British
Airways' "cross case", argued that the school's actions violated
Lydia's right to "freedom of thought, conscience and religion"
under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
'Wider significance'
Miss Playfoot's first application to the High Court was turned down
last year, but judges agreed to hear it after she appealed.
The teenager completed her GCSEs in May and has now left the
school, but her father Phil, who is a pastor, said she wanted to
pursue the case because of its wider significance for all
Christians.
HAVE YOUR SAY
There should be no religious clothing or insignia in state-funded
schools full-stop
Luke Rogers, Bristol, UK
Mr Playfoot and his wife Heather are part of the volunteer team
which runs the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing from their church
in Horsham.
The organisers of the movement say as many as 25,000 young people
have joined so far in the UK and that numbers are growing.
Miss Playfoot received messages of support from politicians,
including Tory MP Ann Widdecombe and was also backed by the Lawyers
Christian Fellowship (LCF).
Her case was funded through individual donations gathered through
the LCF's sister group Christian Concern for our Nation.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said:
"This is entirely the correct decision.
"The case was a manipulative attempt to impose a particular
religious viewpoint on this school and, presumably, on other
schools if this case had been won."
The judge ordered Miss Playfoot's father to pay £12,000 towards the
school's legal costs.
Miss Playfoot said she was now considering whether to appeal
against the ruling.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6900512.stm