Thank goodness Andrew McClintock has lost his appeal. He was the magistrate who was unable to agree to the possibility that placing a child with a gay couple might be in the best interests of the child. He then resigned and claimed direct and indirect discrimination. He intends to appeal again, apparently.
It is important that he loses. Had he won, there was the danger that some kind of separate legal system just for Christians would have been established. It could potentially have aided the cause of those who wish to establish a Sharia system within the legal codes of the UK too.
The judicial oath which Mr McClintock undertook was to “do right to all manner of People, after the laws and usage of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.” He thinks he would have broken that by placing a child with a gay couple. I think otherwise.
It is a shame that there is not really a proper body to join which is promting secularism in a grown up way. If there was I’d join it. The National Secular Society promotes atheism, and in a not very grown up way at all.
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I can see why he might resign if that were his oath – if the law becomes more, er, anti-discriminatory than he is, then he can’t serve the law. (Of course, claiming discrimination in that case is objectionable; his departure from the field also has the advantage of improving the remaining stock.)
Interesting. I had a look at the NSS a year or two ago. What I saw of their aims, and what I understand of secularism (maybe naive but `a level playing-field for all to make their own case fairly’), seemed quite laudable. Then I saw their forums and the members were indeed behaving somewhat repulsively (including abusing secularism to be pro-atheistic instead).
Hmm. That drives a well-known lesson home.