Public and private schools are notably different. Students here at Saint Viator understand the immediate differences between a public high school and the Catholic high school that they attend. However, students and parents never take into account the long-term effects of studying at a private school that offers religion as a mandatory subject.

Social justice is arguably one of the primary problems our nation faces and has yet to be resolved. The sole reason is not knowing where to separate religion from law. Specifically, abortion and gay rights have been a pressing matter for both religious people and politicians. Do private schools and religion actually influence students’ opinions on these problems or are students left to create their own positions? Obviously, every school, every teacher and every student is different. A speaker cannot necessarily be blamed for the impact they make on their audience.

However, religion teachers know exactly what their job is when addressing issues like abortion or gay rights: to give a generic answer that lines up with that of the Catholic Church. The problem with this is how it influences future generations given that public and private students are taught differently. It has been proven that many people are influenced by their surroundings including, but not limited to, teachers, classmates, family and religious figures. It is unfair, then, that these students are being taught views that align with the religious views without understanding the significant influence it has on them.