The British government is trying to pass a law preventing any form of discrimination.  The Catholic Church, which believes homosexuality is a sin, is opposed to the new law because it will make it illegal for their adoption agencies to refuse tp place a child with a homosexual couple.  In light of this the Catholic Church is threatening to close their adoption agencies unless they’re given special dispensation.

I don’t believe in any religion and I don’t believe that religion should play any part in the legislative process.  However, when it comes down to it, this isn’t about religion.

The British government thinks that it can legislate to prevent prejudice but it can’t.  Passing a law banning discrimination against homosexuals, ethnic minorities, women or little green aliens from Mars doesn’t change opinions.  If someone doesn’t like homosexuals or thinks that homosexuality is wrong then you can’t pass a law to make them think differently.

What this boils down to is whose right is right.  If you believe – as the British government does – that homosexuals have a right to adopt children then that infringes the right of a Catholic adoption agency to believe that it is wrong for homosexuals to adopt children.  Catholics have a right to their opinion, homosexuals have a right to theirs.  The British government has committed itself now – it has to decide whose rights are more important and in the process faces a rift in the cabinet.  Both Ruth Kelly and Cherie Bliar are members of Opus Dei, a fundamentalist catholic sect – that should make Sunday lunch interesting.