December 2nd, 2020
Over 700 safe abortions have taken place in Northern Ireland since decriminalisation and new abortion regulations came into force in April. This has prevented those women from either having to make the difficult journey to Great Britain during the pandemic to access care, seek illegal online services without medical supervision, or be forced to continue […]
December 1st, 2020
There is ‘no room for complacency or inaction’ on illegal and unregistered schools, Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman has said. The comments feature in the Chief Inspector’s annual report to the UK Parliament, which reviews the English school inspectorate’s work over the past year. Published today, the report says that legislation on these ‘unsafe and […]
December 1st, 2020
Humanists UK is delighted to announce the appointment of its newest patron, John Amaechi OBE. Amaechi is a respected organisational psychologist, best-selling New York Times author, executive coach, CEO of APS Ltd, and former NBA player. His 2007 best-selling book Man in the Middle chronicled his extraordinary journey from childhood to his career as a basketballer, after which he […]
December 1st, 2020
New two-week lockdown rules that came into force in Northern Ireland on Friday are causing serious, disproportionate disruption for couples having humanist marriages. This is because they require the vast majority of the venues in which they occur to shut, while allowing places of worship and register offices to continue to host religious and civil […]
November 30th, 2020
LGBT Humanists has submitted written evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee calling for reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2004 to simplify the process of changing legal gender and make sure all aspects of the Act respect the dignity and advance the human rights of trans people. This consultation follows the UK Government’s […]
November 27th, 2020
Historian and author Charles Freeman, in conversation with journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed, tonight delivered a stinging rebuttal to the notion that any one culture can claim credit for humanity’s progress in the last 2,000 years, in a lecture delivered via Zoom to an audience of 1000. Freeman drew on his books The Closing of […]
November 27th, 2020
Yesterday, in a UK Parliament debate on the effects of Covid-19 on freedom of religion or belief, both the Government and the opposition highlighted the impact that the pandemic has had upon humanists around the globe. Humanists UK, which briefed MPs ahead of this debate, is pleased the challenges and threats to the rights and […]
November 27th, 2020
School admissions policies that prioritise pupils on grounds of faith can lead to indirect racial discrimination, the Accord Coalition for Inclusive Education has told the Church of England’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. In a submission to a consultation asking opinions on how the Church can promote greater racial justice, Accord – of which Humanists UK is a […]
November 27th, 2020
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of disestablishment and the development of today’s modern, secular Wales, Wales Humanists is inviting members and supporters to take part in a special Zoom event taking place on 7 December 2020. This event was originally scheduled to take place in March, but has been rescheduled as a digital event due […]
November 26th, 2020
All schools in Northern Ireland should be integrated, a DUP MLA has said. Maurice Bradley, who is a member of Stormont’s Education Committee, made the comments at a meeting to hear evidence on integrated education. Northern Ireland Humanists, which campaigns for a single system of schooling that educates pupils from all backgrounds together, has welcomed […]
November 25th, 2020
The Court of Appeal has refused permission for humanist Paul Lamb to judicially review the law on assisted dying, in a move expected to end the prospect of further cases for the foreseeable future. Paul was being supported by Humanists UK. Rebuffed by the courts, he is now taking his campaign to Secretary of State […]
November 24th, 2020
Scottish Justice Minister Humza Yousaf today announced that the Government will drop sections of the draft Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill that would have criminalised insulting religious beliefs. The Bill will now protect ‘antipathy, dislike, ridicule and insult’ of religious beliefs, as part of people’s legitimate right to freedom of expression. Humanists UK, […]
