British prime minister affirms court ruling: couple is too Christian
April 3rd 2011 02:46
Great Britain’s prime minister has endorsed a British court’s ruling that a childless Christian couple cannot host foster children.
Their disqualification? Their strong, fundamentalist convictions.
The court upheld a British Equalities and Human Rights Commission judgment that any children who might be given to the care of Owen and Eunice Johns could be “infected” by the couple’s strong moral beliefs – in particular their strong moral opposition to homosexuality.
Justices ruled that the Johns are unfit to serve as foster parents – and that homosexual rights “should take precedence” over religious beliefs.
The Johns couple were foster parents during the 1990s, caring for nearly 20 children, according to the London Telegraph newspaper. They attempted to reapply in 2007 but their application was blocked after a social worker expressed concern about their beliefs antagonistic to homosexuality.
The couple had held onto hope that the ruling would be overturned until British Prime Minister David Cameron stated his support for the High Court’s verdict.
“This matter was decided by a court in the appropriate way and I think we should rest with the judgment that was made,” said Prime Minister David Cameron.
In November 2010, the court was asked to rule on whether the Johns were qualified to care for foster children, or whether they could be excluded from doing so because of their Christianity.
“Eunice and Owen Johns have been humiliated and sidelined and told by a Government body that their mainstream Christian views might ‘infect’ children,” said Andrea Minichiello Williams of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre. “The Johns are a mild mannered, ordinary Christian couple, yet they may never be able to foster children again. They were willing to love a child regardless of sexual orientation, but not willing to tell a young child that practicing homosexuality was a positive thing.”
After the ruling, Eunice Johns told the Telegraph that she and her husband “are extremely distressed at what the judges have ruled.”
“It is just one more blow for us,” Eunice told the Christian Broadcasting Network. “It seems a dark day for Christians.”
The precedent set by the ruling, according to the Christian Legal Centre, is that Christians who hold orthodox Christian views on the family, marriage and sexuality will face difficulties in the fostering and adoption process – and that British courts will not intervene to stop this from happening.
The Johns told the High Court that their Christian views prohibited them from promoting the homosexual lifestyle.
“One can disagree with homosexual behavior without harboring any hostility towards homosexual individuals. Disagreement is not hatred,” said Mike Judge of the Christian Legal Centre.
“Pray for the Johns family as they continue their fight to become foster parents,” asked the Christian Examiner online news site. “Pray that the High Court will stop correlating religious viewpoints with the ability to parent a child. Pray that the High Court’s decision preventing the Johns couple from becoming foster parents will be overturned.”
Their disqualification? Their strong, fundamentalist convictions.
The court upheld a British Equalities and Human Rights Commission judgment that any children who might be given to the care of Owen and Eunice Johns could be “infected” by the couple’s strong moral beliefs – in particular their strong moral opposition to homosexuality.
Justices ruled that the Johns are unfit to serve as foster parents – and that homosexual rights “should take precedence” over religious beliefs.
The Johns couple were foster parents during the 1990s, caring for nearly 20 children, according to the London Telegraph newspaper. They attempted to reapply in 2007 but their application was blocked after a social worker expressed concern about their beliefs antagonistic to homosexuality.
The couple had held onto hope that the ruling would be overturned until British Prime Minister David Cameron stated his support for the High Court’s verdict.
“This matter was decided by a court in the appropriate way and I think we should rest with the judgment that was made,” said Prime Minister David Cameron.
In November 2010, the court was asked to rule on whether the Johns were qualified to care for foster children, or whether they could be excluded from doing so because of their Christianity.
“Eunice and Owen Johns have been humiliated and sidelined and told by a Government body that their mainstream Christian views might ‘infect’ children,” said Andrea Minichiello Williams of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre. “The Johns are a mild mannered, ordinary Christian couple, yet they may never be able to foster children again. They were willing to love a child regardless of sexual orientation, but not willing to tell a young child that practicing homosexuality was a positive thing.”
After the ruling, Eunice Johns told the Telegraph that she and her husband “are extremely distressed at what the judges have ruled.”
“It is just one more blow for us,” Eunice told the Christian Broadcasting Network. “It seems a dark day for Christians.”
The precedent set by the ruling, according to the Christian Legal Centre, is that Christians who hold orthodox Christian views on the family, marriage and sexuality will face difficulties in the fostering and adoption process – and that British courts will not intervene to stop this from happening.
The Johns told the High Court that their Christian views prohibited them from promoting the homosexual lifestyle.
“One can disagree with homosexual behavior without harboring any hostility towards homosexual individuals. Disagreement is not hatred,” said Mike Judge of the Christian Legal Centre.
“Pray for the Johns family as they continue their fight to become foster parents,” asked the Christian Examiner online news site. “Pray that the High Court will stop correlating religious viewpoints with the ability to parent a child. Pray that the High Court’s decision preventing the Johns couple from becoming foster parents will be overturned.”
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