Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Both the marriage equality referendum and that on the eighth amendment show that there has been a sea change in Irish society and that whatever people's religious convictions, or none, that people believe that religious expression and freedom should be separate from the policies and institutions of the State. There is no doubt in my mind that that is the majority opinion by a significant margin in this country now. That message must be taken on board and the churches, and particularly the Catholic Church, need to understand that. That means that we have to move towards the complete separation of church and State in the management of our schools and hospitals. It is simply not acceptable that the religious persuasion of particular schools or school patrons would, for example, influence sex education when it is such an important matter. It involves issues such as consent, contraception and abortion, all things that young people have a right to know and the State has an obligation to teach in an objective manner. It is not acceptable that the religious views of a patron body would impact and prevent pupils being educated on those things. Furthermore, it is not acceptable that as we speak, religious patrons such as the Christian Brothers are flogging off school property to bolster their own finances at the expense of school children and school facilities. Nor is it acceptable that there be any question marks over what kind of medical treatment might be available to people in hospitals because the religious persuasion of hospital patron bodies might impact on the services those hospitals are willing to deliver. After the repeal of the eighth amendment, is it the Taoiseach's understanding that we have to convey this to the religious institutions and bodies in this country?

See this speech in context