The House of Lords last night (9 January 2007) failed in an attempt to annul the Sexual Orientation Regulations for Northern Ireland. The motion was rejected by 199 votes to 68.
But all is not lost. The Christian Institute's legal action against the Northern Ireland regulations goes ahead as planned in March 2007. If it succeeds the regulations will be quashed.
While we are saddened by last night's vote, it was not unexpected. Labour and the Liberal Democrats whipped their Peers to vote against the motion. Conservative Peers were given a free vote.
Christians protesting outside the House of Lords
We are greatly encouraged by the wide-spread media coverage of the issue. It is clear that the many examples of how these laws could interfere with religious freedom are being widely acknowledged.
It was also encouraging that some 2,000 people gathered outside Parliament in a protest organised by the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship and others.
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Watch a report from BBC News:
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Real Media
Read reports from the Daily Mail, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent.
The regulations for England, Scotland and Wales have not been published yet, let alone voted on. We don’t know what form they will take. Doubtless the controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland regulations will help put pressure on the Government to address our concerns.
For more information see our index of resoucres on the regulations.
