Helen

Following in Wobbles' footsteps, here's a sticky question for you

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6293115.stm

Religion and legislation exemption for Catholic adoption agencies or gay adoption and anti-discrimination legislation applied to all?

What do you think?

Minxy

I'm actually really on the fence with this one, as I support both anti-discrimination and tolerance of cultural/religious beliefs, as long as they don't promote hatred or seperatism.......

My best friends are gay and I would hope if they decide to start a family they would have access to adoption agencies (it IS only the Catholic orphanagies we're talking about?) If the CO had to close down because of enforced laws that would be a disservice to lots of children

I don't know........

I think I'd go with the anti-discrimination laws and hope protection is in place for the children who will be (further) disadvantaged when the Catholic church spit their dummy.....

Kina

Personally I believe that the catholics have their religious beliefs and should be allowed to stick to these when it comes to gay adoption. I hope that doesn't make me sound bigoted. I do believe in gay adoption, but I also believe that as it's against catholic religion then they shouldn't be forced to allow gay adoption from their homes. I don't want to start a racial debate and I don't know the full details, but I wonder if other religions would be forced into it or whether we'd be pussy footing around them like this country normally does?

KX

Dales a catholic, just thought Id share that Useless peace of info for the day

beanie

I am kind of the same lines as Kina. Gay couples should be allowed to adopt (I see too many children living in shite homes) but I also feel that the Catholic church has a right to hold onto its beliefs no matter how much I disagree.

gaby

I support anti-discrimination, but our government's getting ridiculous. I'm not being racist, and i dont mean to offend anyone, but if this were a muslim adoption agency asking for leniency, do you think the government would hesitate to give them what they want? The government fears being seen as discriminative against muslims so much that they are now being discriminative against other religions. I know that these catholic adoption agency will close if they can't opt out of gay adoptions, because it is against their religion. And it will be a shame if they close, because they deal with 200+ adoptions of difficult children each year.

And gay couples could aways go to a different agency now then couldn't they...

Minxy

Anti-discrimination laws also apply to things like guesthouses, where Catholic homeowners would be forced to accept gay couples in to share a room.

I DO think that's out of order in their own house, many were saying they'd have to stop trading.

I think I'm less sympathetic to the religious orphanages because you hear such awful things about them I figure they may not be such a loss. HAve you seen the Magdalene Sisters?

Cat

The thing is I was thinking that religious beliefs should be respected and allowed but then again should they? If a religion teaches bigatory and racism should that be respected just because its a religious belief? Some religions teach that women are inferior to men, and they are not allowed into the same places as men and are generally trreated as second class citizens, surely in our enlightened times we recognise the equality of everyone reardless of sex, colour and sexual persuation, so that religions should change with these times, instead of staying in the dark ages.

gaby

Cat, i can see what you mean. But i'm a christian, and i have gay friends who i love. Catholics are very strict compared to other denominations of the church. For most christians, its the things gay people do together they dont like, not the person themselves. Its a very slipery slope i think. Christianity teaches to love and accept everyone, hence its the action they dont like, not the person, but i also dont think any christian would want to place a child in a home where the child would be raised to accept the actions of gays. Its a very complicated subject. I dont think the government's informed about it enough.

Tam