Oxford's Baroness Young will tonight "champion the rights of parents to protect their children" by blocking new laws she fears will open the floodgates to the teaching of homosexual practices in schools.

Lady Young has condemned Government plans to repeal the controversial Section 28 of the 1989 Local Government Act which bans councils promoting homosexuality.

Her intervention comes amid a wave of opposition from traditionalists and church leaders to Tony Blair's plan.

She has tabled five amendments to new sex-education guidelines for schools, to be heard in Parliament tonight, which she hopes will give parents a choice about what literature their children are shown in the classroom.

Lady Young, a former Oxford City Council leader, said: "Parents are obliged by law to take their children to school and there is no doubt that they do not want their children to be taught about homosexuality. Lots of young boys and girls are very ambivalent about their sexuality. Parents do not want homosexuality forced upon them, particularly in primary schools. "There is no doubt there is a very deep feeling in the public and it is very much about the sort of society that you want to have. I am not talking about what adults do in private, which is not for me to say. I am talking about children, and responsible adults in public life have a duty to protect them.

"One of the most difficult things in this debate is the misuse of the word 'tolerance'. If you do say something that is not politically correct you are immediately called a bigot.

"We have to listen to both sides. I do not think this debate ever came up when I was on Oxford City Council. We were not in that kind of world then. In those days, homosexual sex was a criminal offence.

"Look at what has happened to society. We have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. The whole structure of society is fracturing and children are the real sufferers." Last month, a cross-party alliance of peers blocked Labour's proposals, but ministers are intending to overturn the decision if, and when, the Learning and Skills Bill returns to the Commons with Lady Young's amendment.

She said her amendment would provide that children learn that marriages, not homosexual relationships, are the "key building blocks of society", and that children learn about the significance of stability in family relation- ships.

Lady Young said her amendment would ensure that the proposed safeguard against "inappropriate materials" being used in schools is strengthened; that the Secretary of State can only issue guidance on sex education with Parliamentary approval; and that parents and governors are given a veto over materials and sex education syllabuses.

But Witney MP Shaun Woodward, sacked from the Conservative Party front bench in a row over Section 28, disagrees. Mr Woodward, now a Labour MP, told the Oxford Mail: "I strongly welcome the Government's proposals. All of us want to see our society underpin the value of marriage and families.

"However, we will be stronger for recognising diversity and that for some, marriage is unlikely to be the right choice. For those people who may be gay or coming to terms with their sexuality, it is crucial that a strong society supports them, nurtures their talents and does not discriminate against them."

Story date: Thursday 23 March

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