‘Logical, timely, and easy’: The case for giving humanist weddings ceremonies legal status in England and Wales according to David Pollock, trustee of the British Humanist Association (BHA), who appeared alongside a panel of speakers before a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG) today (Monday 19 March) in the House of Lords.
The APPHG meeting in progress
Since 2005, humanist wedding ceremonies have had legal status in Scotland, and have become the third most popular form of ceremony, now surpassing the number of Catholic ceremonies performed. However, in England and Wales, humanist wedding ceremonies carry no legal validity, and must be supplemented by an additional registry office ceremony.
The panel discussion was chaired by APPHG Chair Lord Warner of Brockley, and in addition to David Pollock featured humanist celebrant Caroline Black, author and BHA Distinguished Supporter Dr Julian Baggini, and Ministry of Justice representative Philip Dear.
Following Mr Pollock’s explanation of the relatively simple changes that would be required to introduce legally binding humanist wedding ceremonies, the audience heard from BHA accredited celebrant Caroline Black. Ms Black spoke on behalf of her celebrant colleagues, and the many couples they have provided services for, giving examples of the very real desire for legally binding humanist weddings. For many, the costs of holding multiple ceremonies – both with humanist celebrants and at a registry office – prove prohibitive, and couples wish to have their meaningful, humanist ceremony affirming their relationship hold the significance of legal recognition.
Dr Julian Baggini presented a non-religious argument against legally recognised humanist marriages, pointing out that one course would be to campaign for only civil marriage to be legally recognised. However, he concluded that in teh present situation it was pragmatic to argue for legal humanist marriages.
Phillip Dear from the Ministry of Justice discussed how the government’s proposals for marriage reform were exclusively focused on providing civil marriages for same-sex couples, and wider reforms, including giving legal recognition of humanist weddings, would not be addressed.
The floor debate opened with BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson commenting on Dr Baggini’s contribution, stating that if marriage laws were being formulated from scratch today they would be very different to the current arrangements, but we must work within existing law. Religious people had the choice of the registrar or a ceremony conducted by a person who shared their beliefs in a ceremony reflecting their approach to life: non-religious people did not have that choice. This was the disadvantage that could be addressed.
Lord Collins of Highbury discussed his own experiences of civil partnership ceremonies, and Baroness Massey of Darwen enquired whether a Private Members Bill or amending existing legislation was the best approach for achieving marriage equality for humanists. Kelvin Hopkins MP, an active member of the APPHG since his election, reflected on the difficulty for many MPs representing diverse and religiously active constituencies in openly advocating causes for the non-religious, and in his view, the push for giving legal recognition to humanist wedding ceremonies should begin in the House of Lords, as it would receive a fairer initial hearing.
Sir Peter Bottomley addressed the audience from his perspective as a Christian and a conservative, emphasising the importance that the Churches place on their ability to hold marriage ceremonies, and engaged in a discussion about the means by which a humanist ceremonies could gain legal status.
The many celebrants in the audience contributed with their range of experiences, stating that fundamentally there a substantial demand for legally valid ceremonies from a range of people, including self-defined humanists to those who just wanted a personalised non-religious ceremony. For hundreds of couples who need a further registry office ceremony, the law at present is unjust and discriminatory.
Notes
For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs at pavan@humanists.uk or on 0773 843 5059.
Read more about the BHA’s work on marriage reform
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.