'Woke' Leaving Cert question blasted for 'bringing culture wars into the classroom', with critics calling it an affront to the 'rights and dignity of biological women'

Published: 22:07, 6 June 2026 | Updated: 22:07, 6 June 2026 A question about ‘a pregnant person’ on one of this year’s Leaving Cert exams has sparked a row about classrooms and unsuspecting students being used in transgender culture wars. Critics also claimed the State Examination Commission’s decision not to use the term ‘pregnant woman’ in this week’s Applied Leaving Cert Social Education paper is ‘an insult to half the country’s population’. The controversy arose after Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly was contacted by a teacher who claimed that asking students to answer questions about ‘a pregnant person’ rather than a pregnant woman, was an affront to the ‘rights and dignity of biological women’. The Cavan-based politician last night accused the Government of ‘bringing culture wars into the classroom of young adults’. She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s telling students about to go out in the world to ignore 50 per cent of the population and instead reduce them to “persons”. It is insulting to women who have wombs and give birth. Can someone answer why? ‘Does the Minister for Education know and approve? ‘It normalises this kind of nonsense language that seeks to erase the existence of women. I am proud to be a woman and all the language there is around being a woman. Only women can have babies. Can we not say pregnant women now? ‘Someone came up with this and signed off on it. It’s crazy. Education ministers have been very weak and woke on this stuff in education. They’re afraid to upset a certain demographic of people. They’d rather upset thousands of parents who don’t agree with any of this. The above question about ‘a pregnant person’ on one of this year’s Leaving Cert exams has sparked a row about classrooms and unsuspecting students being used in transgender culture wars ‘It’s gender ideology. It’s indoctrination and school and the Leaving Cert is not the place for it,’ she said. The question was the fifth question on Wednesday’s Applied Leaving Certificate’s Social Education exam, beneath a photo of a pregnant woman whose face is almost obscured under the heading. Students were asked: ‘Besides taking folic acid, describe two positive lifestyle changes a pregnant person should make to protect the unborn child?’ Students were asked: ‘Besides taking folic acid, describe two positive lifestyle changes a pregnant person should make to protect the unborn child?’ Senator O’Reilly said: ‘It’s foolish to underestimate the depth of feeling ordinary women have on this issue. We do not wish to see words like woman, girl, mother, motherhood, and pregnant women removed from arms of the State, communications or society in general.  'Transgender people should have the right to live their lives as they believe they should and not be subjected to discrimination. But the rights of women should not be sidelined... Senator Sarah O’Reilly said: ‘It’s foolish to underestimate the depth of feeling ordinary women have on this issue' ‘Women have fought too hard for too long to allow our rights be taken away...’ The Department of Education wouldn’t address questions posed to Minister Hildegarde Naughton but referred questions to the State Examinations Commission, which said: ‘The use of the umbrella term “pregnant person”... was designed to be respectful and inclusive, ensuring the question was inclusive and accessible to the cohort of candidates taking this examination. ‘To support the question, there is an accompanying image of a pregnant woman.’ It said the paper was produced by experts who are also teachers. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.