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Law 'threat' to Catholic adoption Catholic threat on gay rights law
(10 minutes later)
Catholic Church adoption agencies will close if they are not allowed to opt out of new gay rights laws, the head of the church in England and Wales says. The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has said adoption agencies will close if they cannot opt out of new gay rights laws.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has written to the Cabinet to say church teaching prevented its agencies placing children with homosexual couples. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has written to Cabinet ministers saying church teaching prevented its agencies placing children with homosexuals.
He says forcing agencies to act against their consciences would constitute discrimination against Catholics. Forcing people to act against their consciences would mean discrimination on the grounds of belief, he added.
The Equality Act is due to come into effect in April. The government says there is "no question of preferential treatment".
It outlaws discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the basis of sexual orientation in a similar way to rules on sex and race discrimination. But Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, a devout Catholic, was reported at the weekend to be considering an opt-out which would cover Catholic adoption agencies.
'Fight ahead' The Equality Act, which has already been delayed once, but is now due to come into effect in England, Wales and Scotland in April, outlaws discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the basis of sexual orientation.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor says Roman Catholic teaching about the foundations of family life rules out the choice of homosexual adoptive parents. 'Tragedy'
The cardinal said the closure of the seven agencies would represent a wholly avoidable "tragedy". It works in a similar way to rules on sex and race discrimination.
Its agencies are said to handle 4% or about 200 of all adoptions a year but about a third of those children judged difficult to place. However, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said Roman Catholic teaching about the foundations of family life ruled out the choice of homosexual adoptive parents.
BBC Religious Affairs Correspondent Robert Pigott said the letter suggests the Catholic Church is ready for a fight. The view about discrimination is one that's been taken by the country as a whole Lord Falconer
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly told the Commons the law was delayed because of the 3,000 responses to a consultation. He said the closure of seven agencies would represent a wholly avoidable "tragedy".
A Department of Communities and Local Government spokesman said no decisions had yet been taken on detailed rules but there was "no question of preferential treatment for an individual faith". In his letter, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said: "We believe it would be unreasonable, unnecessary and unjust discrimination against Catholics for the government to insist that if they wish to continue to work with local authorities, Catholic adoption agencies must act against the teaching of the Church and their own consciences by being obliged in law to provide such a service."
The Catholic Church's agencies are said to handle 4%, or about 200, of all adoptions a year. However they handle about a third of those children judged difficult to place.
Opposition
The Independent on Sunday claimed Ms Kelly was battling to allow Catholic adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples.
It reported that she had the backing of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is not Catholic but whose wife is and whose children went to a Catholic school, but faced opposition from other senior colleagues.
In response to that report, her department said "no decisions" had been taken on the detailed rules.
Ms Kelly told the Commons last October that the new law, which had been expected to come into force then, would be delayed until April, because of 3,000 responses to a consultation.
She also said her own religion would not prevent her from tackling discrimination, including that against homosexuals.
Cherie
A number of ministers spoke out against an opt-out following the weekend reports.
And Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday: "Each individual adoption agency must make its judgement on the basis on which it places a child - and the child's interests are paramount - but if we take the view as a society that we should not discriminate against people who are homosexual, you cannot give exclusions for people on the grounds that their religion or their race says we don't agree with that.
"The view about discrimination is one that's been taken by the country as a whole."
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said on Sunday the Cabinet had not yet made a decision, but banning discrimination on any grounds was "a fundamental principle".
A recent attempt in the House of Lords to overturn the law, which ahs already been brought in in Northern Ireland failed by 199 votes to 68.