UK Adoption row

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Link guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,1998033,00.html

This is a massive row here in the UK. The government are introducing an anti discrimination bill (a good idea in principle, it has to be said) but it will mean that Catholic adoption agencies cannot refuse to consider gay or lesbian couples based on their sexuality.

The situation could lead to Catholic agencies having to close, as to place children into homes with homosexual partners goes against the Church teachings. Our Cardinal, Cormac Murphy O’Connor wrote a letter to the entire cabinet explaining the situation asking for an exemption, but it looks that nothing is gonna be given.

There is also a ‘witch hunt’ developing against one of the cabinet, Ruth Kelly. She is Catholic, and also reportedly a member of Opus Dei. This makes her fair game for the press, unfortunately. It’s a rotten situation.
 
Good for Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor for standing up for Catholic teaching and being willing to close down Catholic Adoption Agencies if nothing is done, to exempt Catholics from this rule that they must allow homosexual couples to adopt their charges. The Synod of the Church of England is exempt from the provisions of the law. See, I think ,No. 57 of the Equality Act.2006.

opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/ukpga_20060003_en.pdf

Why discriminate against one Church and allow another an escape clause?
 
Jay3gsm said:
Link guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,1998033,00.html

This is a massive row here in the UK. The government are introducing an anti discrimination bill (a good idea in principle, it has to be said) but it will mean that Catholic adoption agencies cannot refuse to consider gay or lesbian couples based on their sexuality.

The situation could lead to Catholic agencies having to close, as to place children into homes with homosexual partners goes against the Church teachings. Our Cardinal, Cormac Murphy O’Connor wrote a letter to the entire cabinet explaining the situation asking for an exemption, but it looks that nothing is gonna be given.

There is also a ‘witch hunt’ developing against one of the cabinet, Ruth Kelly. She is Catholic, and also reportedly a member of Opus Dei. This makes her fair game for the press, unfortunately. It’s a rotten situation.
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I heard on Catholic radio yesterday that England’s Muslims are supporting the Church and it’s stand.

Go figure.
 
mark_a said:
I heard on Catholic radio yesterday that England’s Muslims are supporting the Church and it’s stand.

Go figure.
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Its not so surprising. Muslims tend to be social and cultural conservatives. We share similar outlooks on a lot of things.

The Anglican Church is also supporting Cardinal O’Connor’s position.
The Church of England has backed the Catholic Church.
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Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, have written to Tony Blair to argue that “rights of conscience cannot be made subject to legislation, however well-meaning”.
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The Muslim Council of Great Britain also declared its support for the Catholic position, with secretary general Muhammad Abdul Bari saying: “As Muslims we are obliged to uphold the moral standards and codes of conduct dictated by our faith.”
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news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6297107.stm
 
I wish there was some petition we could sign. Does anyone know of one?
 
Titus said:
I wish there was some petition we could sign. Does anyone know of one?
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I’m on the wrong side of the Atlantic to understand the details, but there is an e-petition on one of your government’s websites which seeks “to Delay the passing into Legislation of the Sexual Orientation Regulations for Northern Ireland”. petitions.pm.gov.uk/NISexOrient/

That petition wasn’t focused on Catholic adoption agencies, and I didn’t see an e-petition which would apply to the whole UK, but it looks as if someone could create one. Of course, then it would be a matter of getting the word out so large numbers of people would sign it.
 
Jay3gsm said:
Link guardian.co.uk/gayrights/story/0,1998033,00.html

This is a massive row here in the UK. The government are introducing an anti discrimination bill (a good idea in principle, it has to be said) but it will mean that Catholic adoption agencies cannot refuse to consider gay or lesbian couples based on their sexuality.

The situation could lead to Catholic agencies having to close, as to place children into homes with homosexual partners goes against the Church teachings. Our Cardinal, Cormac Murphy O’Connor wrote a letter to the entire cabinet explaining the situation asking for an exemption, but it looks that nothing is gonna be given.

There is also a ‘witch hunt’ developing against one of the cabinet, Ruth Kelly. She is Catholic, and also reportedly a member of Opus Dei. This makes her fair game for the press, unfortunately. It’s a rotten situation.
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Why is it that the supposed “rights” of homosexuals are placed above the rights of children and the rights of Catholics? God bless Cardinal O’Connor for standing up for the Catholic faith!

You also mentioned Ruth Kelley (God bless her too!), but isn’t it true that Tony Blair’s wife is also Catholic? Has she said anything about this?

We in the US are praying for you guys…we hope that this exemption is given! We are also mindful that laws like the one you’re facing currently will probably one day be passed by a Nancy Pelosi Congress and signed by a President (Hillary) Clinton, so we’re watching the situation in the UK closely. God bless you!!!
 
Just seen this on the news today and logged into here for the first time in ages (old account seems to have died… - back to using the old old one 😦 ) - any thoughts on what we could do about it?

I’m in the UK, and this is really terrible news for the already often shunned Church here - I’m willing to do whatever I can to help the cause, though I wonder, would it be fruitless? What can an indiviual (or small group) really do? Afterall, this is the country where democratic public opinion always seemed to clearly favour keeping fox-hunting…but where the government still banned it through ‘extraordinary powers’ and upholds the decision fully today…

Anyway, good to see so much opposition from the wider communities I guess. But, like I say, if anyone has any ideas on how we can help - maybe a few of us could discuss some form of action? - then I’d love to hear them… Perhaps ‘Catholic Answers’ could spearhead the revocation of a British law? 🙂

Realistically though, we could start the petition…? 😉

Oh, also, if it’ll get any more support, I’m more than happy to look into and answer any questions from those unsure about any aspect of this from outside the UK.

Thanks,

badegine
 
In the United States (Mississippi), a Christian adoption agency regularly turned away Catholic applicants because their religion conflicted with the agency’s “Statement of Faith”. What they were doing would have been legal except they were accepting money from the government to help fund their operations.

Could the Catholic adoption agencies in the UK continue to operate without government subsidies? Would this entitle them to an exemption from the new law?
 
Trad_Catholic said:
TONY Blair last night ordered Catholic adoption agencies to accept gay rights laws or shut down.

The Prime Minister announced that there would be “no exemptions based on faith” from Labour’s equal rights laws.

express.lineone.net/news_detail.html?sku=1128
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Then they must close their doors.

Apparently the Catholic hierarchy had warned that the agencies might have to shut down if the exemption were not granted. The bluff has been called. Now they’d best do so …

The only other solution that I can see is a complete restructuring of funding and the rejection of the use of all public funds. That, of course, will place demands on the rest of the Catholic faithful as private funding has seldom been sufficient.

But if the new law is written in language that does not permit even private agencies to deny homosexuals the privilege of adopting, then even that will not be enough.

It is tragic, but no Catholic can in good conscience place a child with a homosexual couple.
 
William Rees-Mogg in the London Times yesterday contends that, despite the posturing, Brits really don’t have much choice:
The dispute all starts with a European regulation — with one of those European incursions into British sovereignty that hardly one British person in a thousand was aware of at the time it happened. We think that we are free people, but 80 per cent of our laws come from Brussels, and cannot be rejected by the British Parliament or, indeed, by the British electorate

. . continued here: Now, all our English liberties are becoming orphans
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David_Paul said:
William Rees-Mogg in the London Times yesterday contends that, despite the posturing, Brits really don’t have much choice:
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Sounds like they need their own Patrick Henry and George Washington.

I find the idea of another country dictating US laws very repugnant and I hope that day never comes.
 
LRThunder said:
Sounds like they need their own Patrick Henry and George Washington.

I find the idea of another country dictating US laws very repugnant and I hope that day never comes.
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Me too. Very dishearening that the country which inculcated that revulsion in Americans has lost, in large part, its right to self-determination. They fought WWII to prevent continental domination, now they bend to the will of French bureaucrats and German industrialists operating out of Brussels.

And most of that obsequious cowering is being done in the name of “human rights”.

The Brits led the world in developing a legal framework of human rights, the French and the Germans did not.
 
It is coming very close to the time where faithful Catholics will have to start ignoring Positive Laws (man-made Law) that goes against Natural Law (God’s Law). This is includes going to jail for doing so.

Remember, the early Christians were imprisoned, tortured, discriminated against, and murdered for not worshipin the Emperor as a god. The same is happening today, we will not worship the new god of secular humanism.
 
Look in the near future for diversity statements needing to be signed to get employment.

Look to the schools next…

telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/17/nschools217.xml

Yes, persecution is upon us (just about.) It’s certainly inevitable now. Once you define homsexual marriage as normal and homosexual actions as ‘good’ then Christianity becomes immoral and the enemy. It’s also a damn good wedge issue to force religion out of civil society.
 
I think, in fairness, if they were not being funded by the state, they would be able to claim exemption. But most have heavy state funding and must therefore accept state law.

There is a strong argument that there are children with severe disabilities who are being kept in care (without a regular home or family) because no-one wants to adopt them. And when a gay couple, registered, and with good credentials from non-Catholic agencies have asked, they have been turned down.

Call me a moral relativist if you want, but those children deserve loving homes… I also heard on the radio (I’m in the UK), that Catholic agencies DO accept single parents, even single gay parents, and non-Christians to adopt. So it does seem that there’re some double standards in operation.
 
LRThunder said:
Sounds like they need their own Patrick Henry and George Washington.

I find the idea of another country dictating US laws very repugnant and I hope that day never comes.
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What Britain really needs is to seek inspiration in the life of one of its greatest saints - St Edmund who held a special place in the hearts of the Saxon people of England. The town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk gets its name because the Saint is buried there.

Again he refused to submit to pagan conditions. He said that his faith was dearer to him than life, and that he would never purchase his life by offending God. Infuriated, the Danes beat him with sticks, then tied him to a tree and tore his flesh with whips. Next they shot arrows into him until he looked like a “thistle covered with prickles.”
 
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