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Institute Issue 3 Issue 3 institute March 2003 UpThe frede UK-wide newasletter of Thte Chrisetian Institute Squeezing churches into a secular mould As the government drafts new employment laws, The Christian Institute calls for greater protection for religious groups Including: The latest news on our plans to fi nd a bigger Gay adoption: two Christian social workers threatened with the sack building Abortion: leading American fi gure-heads switch sides and become pro-lifers Libertarianism: thethe dangersdangers ooff tthishis iincreasinglyncreasingly ppopularopular ‘‘anything-goes’anything-goes’ vviewpointiewpoint CONTENTS Around the nation Staff from The Christian Institute have continued to travel around the nation holding meetings about our work. These meetings give supporters inside an opportunity to meet staff members and learn more about our work and our campaigns. For people who are unfamiliar with the Institute, Scots smacking law the meetings serve as a good introduction. We Complex new law may work hard to make our meetings professional, catch innocent parents ...p4 encouraging and informative. If you would like The Christian Institute to visit your area, please get in touch. We cannot guarantee to accept every invitation, but we will Cannabis campaign consider each one carefully. The battle against a softer cannabis policy is not over yet ...p4 Squeezing churches Employment plans try to fit churches into a secular mould ...p5 Building appeal More news on our need for a bigger building ...p6 Battle for Section 28 Fresh attempt to repeal this important child-protection law ...p8 Civil partnerships Government plans to introduce ‘gay marriage’ ...p9 Gay adoption Two Christian social workers threatened with the sack ...p11 The Christian Institute, 26 Jesmond Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PQ Tel 0191 281 5664 Fax 0191 281 4272 [email protected] www.christian.org.uk The Christian Institute is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered for the promotion of the Christian faith throughout the United Kingdom. Some recent meetings Registered Charity No. 100 4774 Company No. 263 4440 are marked on the map. 2 Update March 2003 EDITORIAL Updateinstitute The Sexual Offences Bill is a sad refl ection of our society fter September 11th, the Government secular politicians have grasped the need heterosexual offences. The upgraded new rushed through its anti-terrorism for stronger protections for children. It offence will have a maximum penalty of six Alegislation. For the fi rst time it was has not always been so. Our existing laws months in jail. made an offence to possess a nuclear largely stem from the work of the Christian But for homosexual offences - relating weapon. It was also felt necessary to create campaigner Josephine Butler (1828-1906) to adults - the new offence will be a major new laws to tackle a person who keeps who, along with others like Bramwell Booth liberalisation of the law. If the current law of a weapon of mass destruction without a and the fl amboyant journalist WT Stead, gross indecency is repealed and replaced licence. tirelessly worked for 16 years. At the end of by the new offence, the maximum penalty Five years ago the idea that we needed the campaign they secured a huge raft of will be slashed from 2 years to 6 months. such laws may have seemed ridiculous. But legislation to protect children. In public lavatories there will be no September 11th changed all that. Whilst Christians can warmly welcome penalty at all if homosexual acts are When you fi rst pick up the the new child sex offences, the same committed inside a toilet cubicle with Government’s new Sexual Offences Bill support cannot be given to other aspects the door closed. The Government points the explicitness of the new sexual offences of the Bill. out that the offence of “outraging public against children can come as a great Because of its commitment to gay decency” will continue to apply. Given the shock. But the need for such laws is a sad rights, the Government wants all of our feeble way in which this law is applied in refl ection of the times in which we live. sex offences laws to be completely neutral such cases, the Government is effectively Those who framed our existing laws never on sexual orientation. The proposals for legalising homosexual activity in public envisaged the sorts of things which child criminalising sexual acts in public refl ect lavatories. abusers would do to children. Child abuse this. The current law on heterosexual So all in all the Sexual Offences Bill is descending to new lows of horrendous conduct in public is based on the common manages to look in two directions at once. depravity. law offence of “outraging public decency”. We can welcome the tougher laws on child You would have thought that our This law has proved to be appallingly weak sex offences, but must vigorously oppose Criminal Justice system would have been in practice. turning more of our public lavatories into quick to respond. Yet what do we fi nd? In 1998 a pornography company fi lmed squalid places of sleazy depravity. Right across the board, convictions for an entire scene on a summer’s day in a Journalists from across the political sexual offences against children have been car park at Heathrow Airport. The sexual spectrum have ridiculed the Government’s falling year after year. A major Home Offi ce activity carried out on the bonnet of a proposal to effectively legalise gay sex Report published in 2000 found that from car was for real, not simulated. It could in public lavatories. In 2001 journalists 1985 to 1995 convictions for the six most not have been more public with 6,000 similarly ridiculed the plan to introduce serious sexual offences against children fell cars fi ling in and out of the car park every ‘incitement to religious hatred’ in the anti- by 31%. day. Yet after convicting the four people terrorism bill. We hope the outcome is the There is clearly a serious problem with involved of outraging public decency, same, and the Government drops its absurd the enforcement of the law. Judges must the court only meted out a conditional proposal. take some of the blame. The new era of discharge – not even a fi ne. “human rights” has also not helped. Used Whilst outraging public decency tends with the existing law it seems to offer to cover heterosexual offences committed far too much scope for abusers to avoid in public, the parallel law for homosexual Colin Hart, Director conviction by citing legal technicalities. conduct is gross indecency. This is a The Government’s new Sexual tougher law where it is much easier to Offences Bill will certainly help in this secure a conviction. respect. The penalties – particularly for To make the heterosexual and the abuse of children aged under 13 – will homosexual laws equal in seriousness be signifi cantly toughened up. Crucially, the Government is therefore faced with a what constitutes sexual abuse will be choice – either upgrade the heterosexual defi ned much more wide widely. The offence, or downgrade the homosexual Sexual Offences Bill is so explicit that MP’s offence. emails about it are being blocked by anti- The Government has chosen to do pornography software at Westminster. That both. The new law on “sexual activity in we should need such laws is incredibly sad. public” will be a signifi cant improvement We can thank God that even our on the way in which the current law tackles 2 Update March 2003 March 2003 Update 3 NEWS Scotland set for complex new smacking law By Mike Judge year following widespread criticism. stage of the legislative process, but the However, a legal opinion by a leading Executive has so far ignored these worries. A new smacking law in Scotland is Scottish lawyer says the new law – if The current law works well. The expected to be given the go-ahead by the passed as it is presently drafted – remains Christian Institute has been pressing Scottish Parliament at the time of going to unworkable. the Executive to leave it press. Herbert Kerrigan QC says it will unchanged. Unless amended, the complex new be disproportionate, arbitrary and an Institute Director, Colin law will ban all blows to the head and all infringement of the right to family life. Hart, said: “The decision to shaking. Whilst this sounds good in theory, As currently drafted, the new law also drop the under-three ban there are serious concerns that it could makes the use of a wooden spoon to was a major success, but inadvertently catch ordinary parents for punish a child illegal even though actions unless further changes are trivial incidents. using greater force would be treated more made there is a clear risk The new law will not include a complete leniently. that ordinary parents could ban on smacking under-threes. The An infl uential committee of MSPs be prosecuted over trivial Executive was forced to ditch this ban last highlighted some concerns at an earlier incidents.” Scottish Justice Minister, Jim Wallace, was forced to drop plans for an under-three ban The campaign against softer cannabis laws is not over yet There is much criticism By Jonathan Phillips drug will put it on the same end of February, when it will on both sides of level as sleeping pills. go back to the Commons for the debate over the Parliament still has an David Blunkett will use its Report Stage and Third Governments’ confused opportunity to prevent secondary legislation in his Reading, and then on to the and confl icting government plans to soften the attempt to change the law.
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