Civil partnership threat rejected
House of Lords rejects motion to annul new civil partnership provision
The House of Lords has rejected a last-ditch attempt to prevent same-sex civil partnerships being registered on religious premises in England and Wales. The news has been welcomed by representatives of British Quakers, who have been lobbying for a change in the law.
Civil partnership ceremonies are now expected to be hosted in Quaker Meeting houses from 2012. The change in the law does not extend to allowing the word ‘marriage’. A civil partnership in a Meeting house will therefore be followed by a Quaker marriage declaration in the context of a Meeting for Worship.
British Quakers agreed in 2009 to treat same-sex marriages in the same way as mixed-sex marriages.
The law technically changed earlier this month, but yesterday the Lords heard a motion proposed by Conservative peer Detta O’Cathain, which attempted to annul the new provision. She argued that churches could face legal action if they refused to host civil partnerships.
Her claim was challenged by Labour peer Waheed Alli, a gay Muslim. He argued that her motion was based on a ‘spurious argument’ fuelled by prejudice and fear. ‘It’s about allowing churches the freedom to decide whether they want to host civil partnerships or not,’ he said, ‘It’s about allowing the Quakers or the Liberal Jews or Unitarians, the freedom to make their own decisions’.
The new law states: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this act places an obligation on religious organisations to host civil partnerships if they do not wish to do so’.
Prior to the vote, Quakers in Britain issued a joint statement with Liberal Judaism and the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. The three restated their wish to host civil partnerships and added: ‘We recognise fully the rights of those who do not wish to do so’.
As the balance of views in the House of Lords became clear, Detta O’Cathain backed down and withdrew her motion, meaning it was not put to the vote.
Quakers in Britain welcomed the outcome. They are committed to continuing to campaign for full legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
The new law applies only to England and Wales. The Scottish government recently completed a consultation on same-sex marriage. Quakers in Scotland are affiliated to the Scottish Marriage Equality Campaign.
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