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In the News

  • Times (£): Report on Islamists in prison is 'buried'
    May 22nd, 2016

    The government has been accused of burying a damning report on prison extremism which warns that staff have been reluctant to tackle Islamist behaviour for fear of being labelled “racist”.

    The independent review, commissioned by the justice secretary, Michael Gove, says Islamist inmates have exploited the “sensitivity to racism” among prison staff by making false complaints that they are victims of discrimination.

    The review by Ian Acheson, a former Home Office official, has recommended “specially designated units” be created in some high-security prisons to house the most “dangerous, extreme and subversive” Islamists.

    Read more.

  • Mail: Judge rules you don't have to be a couple to have a surrogate baby
    May 22nd, 2016

    Single parents will be allowed to bring up children born to surrogate mothers for the first time, after a High Court ruling critics described as an assault on traditional families.

    Until now, only couples have been able to become the legal parents of surrogate babies – as Ministers insisted it was important for children to be raised by two people in an ‘enduring relationship’.

    But Britain’s strict law on the matter is set to be scrapped, after a judge ruled that it violated the human rights of a single man who had a son using a US surrogate.

    Read more. 

  • Telegraph: Church of England 'could accept clergy in same-sex marriages' following historic vote in Scotland
    May 21st, 2016

    The Church of England could accept clergy and church officials who are in same-sex marriages, it was suggested today after a historic vote in Scotland opened the door for change.

    Officials south of the border are facing “increasing pressure” after the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland voted to extend the law that permits ministers to be in same-sex civil partnerships.

    Read more.

  • Guardian: Police and faith alliance attacks counter-extremism bill
    May 21st, 2016

    David Cameron’s new counter-extremism legislation has been condemned by a powerful coalition of opponents, including the former police chief in charge of the government’s anti-radicalisation programme, who warns that it could actually fuel terrorism.

    The multi-faith alliance of 26 organisations and prominent individuals includes Liberty, Index on Censorship, the National Union of Students, Runnymede Trust and the Muslim Council of Britain, along with individuals including Peter Fahy, ex-chief constable of Greater Manchester and a former policing lead for the Prevent programme.

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  • Abort67: An honest account of a Pro-Lifer's first March for Life
    May 21st, 2016

    Having been a 'pro-lifer' for almost 3 years now (involved in action rather than just attitude), I attended my first March for Life in Birmingham at the weekend. In all honesty I went to 'work' to promote our upcoming training programs to a target market of 'hot-lead' pro-lifers. (Yes my background is sales!) I have wanted to be more united as a pro-life movement, but had felt that we (Abort67) were side-lined in the past by some pro-life groups for being 'too controversial' mainly due to our prime strategy of using so-called 'graphic images' or as I prefer to call them 'abortion-victim images'. Having said that, I have made some great allies from within many of the major groups. So on one hand I was pleased that we were invited to have a stall and share about our work, but on the other hand I was dubious if it would be any more than a party for like-minded people who are against abortion. However, what I experienced at the March for Life, I was deeply encouraged, and above all, humbled.

    Read more. 

  • Independent: Oklahoma governor vetoes bill making abortion a felony
    May 21st, 2016

    Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Mary Fallin vetoed a bill on Friday that would have sent doctors who performed abortions to prison.

    Governor Fallin said that the legislation would have never withstood a criminal constitutional legal challenge, since the US Supreme Court ruled abortion legal in 1973.

    "The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors cannot be certain what medical circumstances would be considered 'necessary to preserve the life of the mother,'" Fallin said. "While I consistently have and continue to support a re-examination of the United States Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade, this legislation cannot accomplish that re-examination."

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  • Pink News: After three years of equal marriage, we must continue the fight to eliminate discrimination, by Caroline Dinenage
    May 21st, 2016

    Minister for equalities Caroline Dinenage has written for PinkNews on the third anniversary of the same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales, saying we must never stop in the fight to eliminate discrimination.

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  • The Atlantic: When does abortion beccome eugenics - The Spectrum of Down Syndrome
    May 20th, 2016

    Following my callout for stories from expectant parents confronting a Down Syndrome diagnosis, a reader steps forward:

    My wife and I discovered early in her second pregnancy that the fetus had Down Syndrome, and we elected to abort. It was a difficult decision, but I will always fight to make sure others in our situation are permitted the same choices we had.

    Read more.

  • Christianity Today: Nigerian State Proposes Banning Preaching Without a License
    May 20th, 2016

    For more than 30 years, a state in Africa’s most populous country essentially ignored a law put in place by its military government that required preachers to get licenses, limited the playing of religious cassettes, and outlawed derogatory language by religious organizations and leaders.

    But this spring, governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is attempting to revive the policy. A new bill from his administration would restrict both Muslim and Christian preaching among Kaduna’s 6.5 million people by requiring pastors to obtain annual permits.

    Read more.

  • China Aid: China Aid releases 2015 Annual Report on Chinese Government Persecution
    May 18th, 2016

    Today, China Aid released its 2015 Annual Report of Religious and Human Rights Persecution in China, which indicates that religious persecution and human rights abuse by the Chinese government against its citizens has risen 4.74 percent since 2014 based on six specific categories of persecution.

    All six categories, which include the total number of persecution cases, the number of religious practitioners persecuted, the number of citizens detained, the number of citizens sentenced, the number of severe abuse cases and the number of individuals in severe abuses cases, increased between 6.15 and 174.65 percent. The category with the largest increase was the number of cases of verbal, mental and physical abuse, including torture, which increased from 71 in 2014 to 192 in 2015.

    Read more.