Headlines
Abortion Campaign Update—over 11,000 signatures collected in 5 days, 89,000 to go
Charity Law Update—Specific Consultation for Religious Groups on ‘Public Benefit’
British Board of Film Classification (Accountability to Parliament and Appeals) Bill 2007-08
Abortion Campaign Update—over 11,000 signatures collected, 89,000 to go
If you have not signed the Petition please take a moment to do so and pass on the details to others. We have raised over 11,000 on line signatures in 5 days and are aiming for 20,000 by the end of the weekend and 100,000 signatures in total as soon as possible.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, now in the House of Commons, provides the first opportunity for 18 years for changing the law on abortion.
Please sign the new petition at http://www.aliveandkickingcampaign.org/petition/ calling on Parliament to support amendments to reduce the number of abortions in the UK from 200,000 a year and to oppose amendments that would further liberalise the abortion law.
Please also print out the petition http://www.aliveandkickingcampaign.org/public/pdf/petition.pdf
and take it to your church, your youth group, your workplace or school or your fellowship group and ask others to sign it. The most effective action you can take still remains the letter you can write or the visit you can make to your MP, to persuade him or her of the importance of this issue and of the case for choosing life, restricting the practice of abortion and rejecting a change in the law that would allow liberalisation of research on embryos.
Link to recommend the Alive and Kicking Abortion Petition to a friend by e-mail: http://www.aliveandkickingcampaign.org/petition/suggest/?suggest=petition
To read the latest stories in the press on abortion, please click on the links below:
The Daily Mail: Howard calls for tighter abortion laws 14th March 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=341286&in_page_id=1770
The Daily Mail: Gordon Brown 'to respect MPs' conscience' for fertility vote 14th March 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=532435&in_page_id=1770
The BBC: Is it wrong to select a deaf embryo? 11th March 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7287508.stm
The Telegraph: Rethink over disabled embryo rules 11th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/11/nbaby211.xml
The Telegraph: Some 'gifts' one is better off without 11th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/11/do1103.xml
The Telegraph: Couple who want deaf child angry at IVF ban 11th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/11/nbaby111.xml
The Guardian: Science and faith slug it out again 11th March 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/11/houseofcommons.genetics
The Guardian: The hearing's difficulties 11th March 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/11/disability
The Telegraph: Rethink over disabled embryo rules 11th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/11/nbaby211.xml
The Daily Mail: Whether Cabinet Catholics will put career before conscience on embryo research 10th March 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=528951&in_page_id=1770
The Telegraph: Artificial sperm use plans ignite embryo row 10th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/10/nembryo110.xml
The Independent: First advice hotline for abortions launched 10th March 2008
The Telegraph: What the Bill would permit 10th March 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/10/nembryo210.xml
The Guardian: MPs back artificial sperm for childless 10th March 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/mar/09/houseofcommons.medicalresearch
Charity Law Update—Specific Consultation for Religious Groups on Public benefit
The Charities Act 2006 is an attempt by the Government to create a level playing field regarding the need for charities to prove public benefit. All charities, including those charities whose purposes concern advancing religion or education or the relief of poverty, are now required explicitly to show that their aims promote public benefit. Failing this, new and existing religious charities will no longer be considered to be charitable and will lose the tax and other benefits associated with being a charity. Previously these 3 types of charities were presumed to be of public benefit.
The Charity Commission's general guidance, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’ and ‘Summary Guidance for Charity Trustees’, published in January 2008, explains in general terms what the public benefit requirement means. But the Commission has now produced a specific Consultation for religious charities in their draft supplementary ‘Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion’ guidance. The Consultation for this religious sub-sector guidance will close on 30th June 2008.
One of the issues that this Consultation will cover will be how to define ‘religion’. This dilemma has arisen as a result of the changes in the Charities Act. The Charities Act states that ‘religion’ now includes a belief in more than one god, and a religion which does not involve belief in a god. ‘God’ does not start with a capital letter in any sentence of the Charities Act. This may be seen as symbolic of the changes being made.
A previous decision by the Commission in a Church of Scientology case, having considered the characteristics of a religion, concluded that the definition of ‘religion’ in English charity law was characterised by three aspects: firstly, a belief in a supreme being, secondly, an expression of that belief through worship and thirdly, that there must be an advancement of religion. Because of this decision and the changes to include more than one god or no god, the Consultation asks questions on the definition of ‘religion’. In our opinion, it is vital that any redefinition of ‘religion’ maintains the three aspects discussed in the Church of Scientology decision.
The Consultation explains that an alternative to ‘supreme being’ that has been suggested is “a divine or transcendental being, entity or principle”. The Consultation then poses the question as to the most appropriate terminology for the Commission to use to describe the object or focus of religion.
Originally, charity law was founded on a traditional Christian belief in one God. That requirement has been gradually eroded by the exceptions that have been allowed. As Christians, we need to act now to ensure that the concept of religion is not further secularised or diluted.
The LCF/CCFON is encouraging church leaders and trustees of Christian organisations to respond to the Consultation on the religious sub-sector draft supplementary ‘Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion’ guidance to demonstrate the depth of concern amongst Christian charities. It is crucial that this Consultation receives a huge response, as amongst other important issues, the very concept of ‘religion’ in charity law will be defined. This definition will then be used to consider which charities are ‘charities’ according to the criterion of the ‘advancement of religion’.
It is of concern to note that the Commission has suggested that this particular Consultation may also be of interest to trustees advancing non-religious belief systems. In our opinion, this is neither necessary nor appropriate, as the Commission intends to have separate sub-sector guidance for such charities. If responses from those charities with non-religious beliefs are used to determine the definition of religion this may result in even further secularisation or dilution of the concept.
The LCF will be organising a Conference day on the Bill, looking at how to respond to the Bill, examining the Consultation and will in due course provide a link to our response which we hope will inform and assist you.
The link to the Consultation on draft supplementary guidance on Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion can be found at:
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publicbenefit/default.asp
British Board of Film Classification (Accountability to Parliament and Appeals) Bill 2007-08
More than 4½ hours of Parliamentary time were taken up with the second reading of this Bill on 29th February 2008, which is more than that allocated to some major Bills. The the second reading of the Bill took place on Friday 7th March 2008.
This Bill was introduced by Mr Julian Brazier MP over concerns about classification and guidelines for classification of videos, DVDs and computer games and the need for parliamentary accountability. The Bill aims to make the British Board of Film Classification more accountable to Parliament and the public. The Bill seeks to allow Parliamentary scrutiny of the senior appointments to the BBFC; to examine their guidelines and to set up an independent appeals body of 12 volunteers to review videos DVDS and computer games that are already in circulation or that are in the process of being classified. Such reviews will be triggered by an Early Day motion signed by at least 50 MPs. Currently, it is only the industry itself that can appeal against a classification of a video, DVD or computer game and there is no way of allowing anyone else to do so.
The Bill seeks to address the growing concern in the country about the rising tide of violence and the classification and portrayal of violence in videos, DVDs and computer games.
Last year, the Conservative party made an unequivocal commitment to:
“review the regulatory framework relating to films and video games to ensure that violence and misogyny are not directly promoted to young people. This should include the role of the British Board of Film Classification”.
Media Watch UK, a campaigning organisation, commissioned an independent survey by Communicate Research, an independent polling organisation. The research it published on 28th February shows that 76 per cent of people support the tighter regulation of violence in films and games, and on TV; that 68 per cent believe such violence to be linked to actual violent crimes; and that 80 per cent believe that the BBFC process for approving films should be transparent and accountable to Parliament.
See http://www.mediawatchuk.org.uk/, which details the poll
The Government Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, the Hon. Margaret Hodge, indicated that the issues behind the Bill need to be addressed. She said that the Government had already commissioned a review on this issue by Dr Tanya Bryon, who is due to report this month. Tanya Byron is leading the Government's inquiry into the effect of violent videos and internet porn on children. The aim of the review is to ensure children can play video games and use the internet safely.
See http://www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview/.
Please pray that this Bill will influence the Government to deal with issues of concern about classification.
Full details of the Bill and debates can be found at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2007-08/britishboardoffilmclassificationaccountabilitytoparliamentandappeals.html.