UK news: Catholic adoption agency cannot discriminate against gay and lesbian parents
A Catholic adoption agency in Britain has been told that it cannot discriminate against prospective adoptive parents because they happen to be gay or lesbian.
The ruling came from the Charity Commission, the UK body which regulates the activities of organisations which have charitable status. Charities in Britain enjoy legal privileges such as tax exemption, and the role of the Charity Commission is to ensure that these privileges are not abused and that charities act in the public interest.
In its ruling on the Catholic adoption agency, the Charity Commission stated:
The Charity Commission has decided that it will not give consent to the charity Catholic Care to amend its charitable objects to restrict its adoption services to heterosexual prospective parents only. The independent regulator of charities in England and Wales has considered the evidence and the relevant law and concluded that it would not be justified in the circumstances for the charity to discriminate in this way.
The British government introduced a law in 2007 which made it illegal for organisations to discriminate against people on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services. Catholic adoption agencies obtained a temporary exemption, but this expired at the end of 2008.
The ruling came from the Charity Commission, the UK body which regulates the activities of organisations which have charitable status. Charities in Britain enjoy legal privileges such as tax exemption, and the role of the Charity Commission is to ensure that these privileges are not abused and that charities act in the public interest.
In its ruling on the Catholic adoption agency, the Charity Commission stated:
The Charity Commission has decided that it will not give consent to the charity Catholic Care to amend its charitable objects to restrict its adoption services to heterosexual prospective parents only. The independent regulator of charities in England and Wales has considered the evidence and the relevant law and concluded that it would not be justified in the circumstances for the charity to discriminate in this way.
The British government introduced a law in 2007 which made it illegal for organisations to discriminate against people on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services. Catholic adoption agencies obtained a temporary exemption, but this expired at the end of 2008.