RE: Christian couple told they can't adopt due to their views on homosexuality.
March 6, 2011 at 2:59 am
(March 4, 2011 at 7:26 pm)Tiberius Wrote: Yes, I'm aware it's the current legislation; but apparently you are not aware that its contradictory nature has been noted time and time again by lawyers fighting for the rights of both religious people and homosexuals. It is consistently noted that sexual orientation often trumps religious beliefs, despite the fact that both are considered part of the "equality" act.That's because of The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007, the precursor of the 2010 Act, which now combines *all* of the equality enactments within Great Britain and provide comparable protections across all equality strands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equality_Ac...egulations
There's nothing in these Regulations that makes it unlawful for voluntary adoption or fostering agencies to restrict the provision of its services or facilities to a person on the grounds of his sexual orientation.
You know why? It's because the law recognises the potential for conflicts with people who have strongly held religious convictions. You don't appreciate that its not contradictory legislation, at the same time you cannot afford complacency around the law. You regard it as 'unfair', that these people with religious beliefs are held in check by secular values enforced within society. Cry me a river. It is also unfair if a mother of four complains she's being prosecuted for causing a road traffic accident, and failing to stop and identify herself afterwards? Does she have an excuse that she was uneducated in the law?
Ignorantia juris non excusat.
Beliefs enforce our actions so we are all accountable to each other, whether we have opposing beliefs about each other lifestyles or not, that includes Owen and Eunice Johns.
Quote:I never said they weren't doing their job, I merely commented on the fact that because the law is contradictory, they can come to what I consider to be bad decisions (such as the one we are debating in this thread).OF COURSE gay rights should take precedence over their religious beliefs in society. If they didn't then how can anyone realistically expect them not to be discriminated against by said couple's and other people's bigotry continually in and out of the workplace?
Quote:No, I don't think they are worthless. How do you even manage to get to that position based on me calling what I consider a flawed and unfair "equality" act bullshit?You tell me. You're the one who's essentially summed up the Act that protects them as worthless. Perhaps your thought process is clouded by emotion and thereby preventing you from retracting that ridiculous statement?
Quote:There was no fallacy. I pointed out the fact that there is a massive contradiction in the law; some equalities are more equal than others.Provisions to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief were already enshrined in the primary Equality Act 2006.
Not understanding the law does not make it mutually opposed or inconsistent with itself.
(March 5, 2011 at 2:52 pm)Shell B Wrote: This is a really fuzzy statement. How exactly did she express concern? What did she say to them that caused them to withdraw their application?You'll have to get the full story from other sites that are a little bit more informative:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ds-newsxml
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/socie...103013585/
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14234
Full court case from the EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION can be found here:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/375.html
Actually, the more I read about these two, the more their 'views' disgust me. If they really cared about fostering they wouldn't allow their religious dogma to interfere with providing a child with a home.