Catholics get 20 months leeway on adoption
Tony Blair last night announced Roman Catholic adoption agencies will not have an exemption from gay adoption rights, but they will have a delay of 20 months before implementing the equality laws.
The Prime Minister, who brokered the compromise in an intensive round of telephone calls over the weekend, appeared to have won over the opposing sides of the Cabinet. The compromise also appeared to have done enough to avoid a damaging clash between the Church and State over the gay adoption rights, which some agencies warned would leave them with no option but to close down.
Full article over at The Independent, additional commentary at The Telegraph, The Guardian.
February 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I find this an interesting topic.
If the government are going to make anti-discrimination legislation, then surely it has to remove all acts of discrimination. It does not impact on people’s beliefs or thoughts, so I really can not see what grounds the Catholic church have to object.
If I had strongly held beliefs that (for example) Black people were “evil,” I would not be allowed to use this belief to prevent them staying in my (for the example) Bed and Breakfast hotel - or any other form of discrimination.
Simply because the Catholic belief is shared by lots of people doesn’t mean it is any more “right” or that it should have any more privileges than anything else.
I think giving them 20 months to comply is really pointless. Is the bible going to re-write itself in that time?