Catholic Care a Catholic adoption society has won a High Court battle against legislation forcing it to consider homosexual couples as parents.
This judgement certainly took me by surprise:
Catholic adoption society wins court battle over gay rights exemption
Catholic Care had said it would have to give up its work finding homes for children if it was made to comply with the new anti-discrimination legislation.
The Charity Commission had rejected its plea to an exemption under the Sexual Orientation Regulations but a High Court judge this morning allowed the adoption charity’s appeal.
Mr Justice Briggs, sitting in London, ordered the commission to reconsider the case in the light of the principles set out in his judgment.
Catholic Care, which serves the dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hallam in South Yorkshire, was the last Catholic adoption charity to continue its fight against the equality legislation.
The Roman Catholic Church lost a battle against the regulations when they were introduced in 2006.
And this from the Mail:-
The last Roman Catholic adoption agency in England and Wales today won a High Court battle today over legislation forcing it to consider homosexual couples as parents.
Catholic Care, which serves the dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hallam in South Yorkshire, launched the legal action saying it would have to give up its work finding homes for children if it has to comply with the legislation.
The agency is the only one of 11 Catholic adoption agencies in the country to continue to fight the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs).
The law outlawed discrimination against gay couples in the provision of goods and services and was pushed through Parliament in 2007 in spite of protests from leaders of all the mainstream religious faiths.
It meant that Catholics adoption agencies – which together found new homes for about 250 children in care each year – were obliged to assess same-sex couples as potential adopters or foster parents.
Pink News covers the reaction of Terry Sanderson:
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said the decision was “alarming”.
He told PinkNews.co.uk: “This is an alarming decision and the first major setback for the protection of gay people from discrimination by religious groups.
“It is unfortunate that the court has enabled Catholic Care to exploit what was obviously an error in the drafting of the equality legislation. The loophole this created was never intended to be used this way.
“If the Charity Commission reverses its previous decision – as the court is asking it to – we can look forward to a tidal wave of similar challenges from bigoted Catholic organisations who are determined not to accord any rights to gay people at all
“If Catholic Care wants to operate an adoption service based on bigotry, then it should not receive public funding to do so, and I hope that those statutory authorities that provide the money will now withdraw it.”
Further Links:
Anglican Samizdat – Predictably, the gay rights group, Stonewall wasn’t too happy.
Tags: Church Life, Law Moral Ethical, News
March 17th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Thank God for Catholic Care’s willingness to fight the Christian evil of placing vulnerable children in to the hands of homosexual and Lesbian guardians. Let us be open and straight in dealing with such issues for such deviations from family life are, in New Testament terms, little short of Sodomy and Fornication. Practices that the pagan empire was notorious for, and a major cause of its ultimate collapse.
‘Whoever creates a cause of offence over one of these little ones’, said our Blessed Lord, ‘it would be better for that person that he had never been born.” Then He went on to affirm: “Better for such a one that a mill stone were fastened to his neck and that he be cast in to the depth of the sea!’ Yes, strong words indeed to come from the lips of One who was normally so meek, gentle and forgiving!
While this openly secularist government gambles with the future lives of children in sending them off to school with two mums or dads – as experimental fodder! – the Catholic Care adoption agency takes a firm moral stand against it. Yes, indeed, a true stand of militancy to tighten the sluice gates against the filth that is eroding the bed rock foundation of family life! Well, would to God that the other branches of British Christiasnity – along with their adoption agencies – followed suit!
While the archbishop of Canterbury perpetually waffles – and his counterpart for Wales welcomes practising ‘Gays’ for both episcopacy as well as priesthood – the visit of Pope Benedict to our shores will prove a most timely and welcome one. Yes, and I very much sense, by so many other branches of British Christianity, as well as his own!
March 17th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
The question here was always one of equity and not of equality.
In a civil court, given the circumstances, the winner was always going to be Catholic Care.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Thank heavens.
I bet the establishment choose the judge next time with more care.
But what has this country come to, when a group of Catholics wishing to help orphans has to ask the permission of the state to be allowed to do so; and the establishment requires a creedal test — that they renounce Catholicism — to be allowed to do so? We abolished the Test Act and the Act of Uniformity 150 years ago. Why bring them back now?
March 18th, 2010 at 8:19 am
I’m very pleased at this result. Seems the authorities are adamant on babies being adopted by families that mirror their racial or ethnic mix but have a blind spot when it comes to faith.
Giving a child up for adoption is far more traumatic than abortion in most cases, so it is a particularly unselfish act. If an unsupported mother is a Catholic and therefore wishes to use a Catholic agency applying Catholic standards then surely her wishes should be respected?
I can understand why people think it’s so important to match parents with children in terms of skin colour, etc. but it’s gone too far. I know a lovely couple who can’t have children. Although they seem ideal parents, they’ve been told they are unlikely ever to adopt because they are white. Very few adoptions concern white children and social services would rather keep children in care than let them be adopted by a couple of a different race and background.