News
Humanists welcome Girlguiding inclusion of non-religious
June 18th, 2013Girlguiding UK has announced a new version of its Promise – ‘the core expression of values and the common standard that brings everyone in guiding together’ – which is inclusive for the first time of those who don’t believe in any god. The British Humanist Association, which responded to Girlguiding consultation and met with Girlguiding [...]
MPs vote against adding PSHE to the national curriculum
June 12th, 2013MPs yesterday debated proposals to add Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, including Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), to the national curriculum. The amendment to the Children and Families Bill, which was introduced by Labour with support from the ‘Coalition of Consent pop up campaign’, was defeated by 303 votes to 219. The British [...]
Humanists criticise human rights abuses in Morocco, Bangladesh and Iran
June 11th, 2013Humanists have highlighted human rights abuses in Morocco, Bangladesh and Iran at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Representatives of the British Humanist Association (BHA), IHEU (International Humanist and Ethical Union) and the Center for Inquiry defended atheist bloggers in Bangladesh, attacked the practice of torture in Iran and protested against [...]
Terry Pratchett receives 2013 Services to Humanism Award
June 10th, 2013Sir Terry Pratchett OBE this weekend received an award in recognition of his services to Humanism at the annual conference of the British Humanist Association (BHA) in a ceremony held at the Leeds City Museum. The BHA has a tradition of recognising the significant contributions people make every day to support those with no religion. [...]
BHA raises concerns over Faith in the Community report
June 10th, 2013The British Humanist Association (BHA) has raised concerns over Faith in the Community, a new report published today by Christians in Parliament and the Evangelical Alliance. The report calls on local authorities to allow religious groups to get more involved in providing public services. The BHA is opposed to this policy, because it creates the [...]
BHA backs launch of Fair Admissions Campaign
June 6th, 2013Take Action! You can find out how to get involved in the Campaign at http://fairadmissions.org.uk/ All state-funded schools should be open to all children, regardless of their parents’ religion. That’s the message of the Fair Admissions Campaign, a new, widely supported campaign which has launched today, with the British Humanist Association (BHA) as a founding member. [...]
Humanist delegations speak out against human rights abuses in UN debate
June 5th, 2013Humanists have spoken out against human rights abuses at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The international humanist team, led by the British Humanist Association (BHA), International Humanist Ethical Union (IHEU) and Centre for Inquiry (CFI) delegations contributed extensively to a debate on civil and political rights. Hannah Bock, speaking on [...]
Defra publishes response to religious slaughter consultation
May 31st, 2013The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its response to the 2012 consultation on the protection of animals at the time of killing. The Government will not remove the exemption from animal welfare law that permits religious communities to slaughter animals without pre-stunning. The British Humanist Association (BHA) responded to the consultation [...]
Northern Ireland’s Catholic schools call for end to faith-based school employment laws
May 31st, 2013The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), the representative body representing state funded Catholic schools in Northern Ireland, has called for an end to laws which allow state schools to religiously discriminate in employment. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the call, which puts the body in stark contrast to the Catholic Education Service [...]
European Court of Human Rights refuses to hear appeals in three ‘Christian persecution’ cases
May 28th, 2013The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has today rejected requests from Lillian Ladele, Gary McFarlane and Shirley Chaplin to have their cases heard by the Court’s final court of appeal, the Grand Chamber. The requests followed on from decisions against the claimants by the ECHR in January, and mean that the three cases will [...]
BHA welcomes new findings in support of compulsory sex and relationships education
May 24th, 2013The British Humanist Association (BHA) has today welcomed a number of new reports and surveys showing strong support for making Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) compulsory in schools. On Monday, the NAHT trade union published a survey which found 88 per cent of parents saying that ‘sex [...]
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 [...]
