News
Government approves 25 new religious Free Schools
May 22nd, 2013The Department for Education (DfE) has today announced the approval of 102 new Free Schools due to open from September 2014. This includes 25 new religious schools, as well as one Steiner school. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has expressed regret at the continuing increase in the number of ‘faith’ schools. The 25 new schools [...]
Humanists take part in International Day of UN Peacekeepers Remembrance Ceremony
May 22nd, 2013Prominent humanists have taken a significant role in the International Day of UN Peacekeepers Remembrance Ceremony, which commemorates UN peacekeepers who have been killed in the line of duty. Flight Lieutenant Emily McCullouch of RAF Leuchars, who is a member of the BHA (British Humanist Association) and UKAFHA (United Kingdom Armed Forces Humanist Association), delivered [...]
Legal recognition of humanist marriages blocked in Commons
May 21st, 2013A proposal in the House of Commons to give legal recognition to humanist marriages in England and Wales has been halted through the last minute intervention of the Attorney General. The proposal had the support of MPs from all three parties and was publicly opposed only by the Church of England and Conservatives in government. [...]
Parliament to vote on giving legal recognition to humanist marriages
May 21st, 2013A proposal to give legal recognition to humanist marriages will be voted on today in the House of Commons. The proposal has been made as an amendment to the Marriage Bill by the Labour MPs Kate Green, Chris Bryant, and Kelvin Hopkins, the Liberal Democrat MPs Stephen Gilbert, Dr Julian Huppert, and Stephen Williams, and [...]
New 2011 English and Welsh Census figures on religion released
May 17th, 2013The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has released a more detailed breakdown of findings from the 2011 Census in England and Wales. The new figures show demographic changes in relation to religion, compared to age, sex, ethnicity, country of birth and economic activity. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the new figures. The Census [...]
GALHA and BHA support International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia
May 16th, 2013Humanists around the world tomorrow will be marking the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). The campaigning organisation Transgender Europe has issued a ‘Trans Right Europe Map’ as its contribution to this international campaign. The findings of the research demonstrate that European countries are not taking sufficient action to protect transgendered people efficiently against [...]
Government opposes cross-party move to give legal recognition to humanist marriages
May 15th, 2013The government has announced it will oppose giving legal recognition to humanist weddings in England and Wales when it is debated in the House of Commons next week. Many hundreds of couples have humanist weddings in England and Wales each year but unlike in Scotland – where almost 3000 were conducted last year – they [...]
Strong case for assisted dying made in final day of Nicklinson/Lamb Court of Appeal case
May 14th, 2013The Court of Appeal today heard the final day of evidence in widely publicised case of Jane Nicklinson, the widow of Tony Nicklinson, who sought an assisted death and Paul Lamb, immobilised after a road accident and seeking the right to an assisted death. The British Humanist Association (BHA) is also a party to the [...]
Nicklinson, Lamb and ‘Martin’ assisted dying hearings at Court of Appeal begin
May 13th, 2013Hearings begin at the Court of Appeal today of the cases of: Paul Lamb, immobilised after a road accident and seeking the right to an assisted death; Jane Nicklinson, the widow of Tony Nicklinson, who also sought an assisted death; and a claimant known as ‘Martin’ in the same position. The British Humanist Association (BHA) [...]
Church statistics show continued decline, call into question establishment
May 7th, 2013The Church of England has today released its attendance statistics for 2011.The British Humanist Association (BHA) has drawn attention to the fact that the figures show a very substantial majority of people in England have nothing to do with the Church of England and has called for a reconsideration of its privileged legal and constitutional [...]
BHA celebrants support Dying Matters awareness week
May 6th, 2013Each year Dying Matters promotes an ‘Awareness Week’ that seeks to act as the catalyst for people across the country to talk about dying and its implications. The goal is for a ‘good death’ to become the norm. The theme of this year’s Awareness Week, which runs from 13th-19th May, is Be ready for it. [...]
More and more couples choosing a humanist marriage
May 6th, 2013The enormous growth in popularity of humanist marriages in Scotland has been widely reported, including by the BBC, The Independent and The Sun in recent weeks – they have already exceeded Catholic marriages in number and may soon exceed those conducted by the Church of Scotland. Couples across the UK can choose to have a humanist ceremony, but they are only recognised [...]
