Gay adoption row: Christian group’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s statement

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement that there will be no exemptions for Christian adoption agencies from the Sexual Orientation Regulations, The Christian Institute’s Director, Colin Hart, said today:

“It is a very sad day for children in care. The Government has decided to put gay rights first ahead of what is best for them. Telling religious adoption agencies they have until 2008 to change their practice or pack their bags is no comfort at all.

“If Roman Catholic adoption agencies can be closed down because of their sincerely-held religious beliefs on sexual ethics then who is next? Christian nursing homes? Christian homes for the elderly? Have the Government considered the costs of providing all the social care which is currently paid for by donations to religious charities?

“The Government is putting up a sign over the UK saying ‘Christians are not welcome here’. It’s fine to be a Christian so long as it doesn’t affect your life in anyway. The end result of this philosophy is the sort of ‘freedom’ endured by religious believers in the Soviet Union.

“I may have missed something but there does not appear to be hundreds of Old People’s homes run by gay rights groups or secular campaigners. Why will gay rights groups not leave Christians alone to run their own charities? These proposals send out the message that hatred of Christians is perfectly OK.

“In the USA the Scouts had to spend huge sums of money (thought to be $1million) defending hostile legal actions from gay rights activists. It looks like Government will allow religious charities to face these sorts of legal actions in the UK.

“Christians were pioneers in adoption. For years they have been quietly finding good homes for vulnerable children. Now all religious adoption agencies are being threatened with closure all because they are not politically correct. It is the children who will suffer. I fear so will the elderly.”