Freedom of choice
We want a society where every person will have the fullest possible freedom of choice in the shaping of their own lives, limited only by the rights and freedoms of others in a fair and equitable society and never by the pressures of religion, tradition, or outmoded law, or by discrimination and prejudice.
This includes children, who should be actively prepared in schools for a life in society in which they can exercise this freedom and should, while still children, enjoy their human rights with increasing fullness in line with their growing maturity.
We support legal protection for human rights because we believe it is the best way to guarantee the fundamental freedoms of every person. When human rights are given legal status, governments have to abide by them and protect them.
Political ideals must be based upon ideals for the individual life. The aim of politics should be to make the lives of individuals as good as possible.
Bertrand Russell, humanist philosopher
The humanist vision of society is one in which the ‘good life’ is available for all individuals and therefore for society as a whole.
Jeaneane Fowler, writer on humanism
Freedom, equality, and choice
We endorse the principles behind the major international human rights treaties and covenants as well as the specific rights guaranteed within them. This includes:
- the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
- the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
- the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
- the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,
- the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women,
- the European Convention on Human Rights, which is UK law in the Human Rights Act 1998.
We want to see all these rights and freedoms implemented and protected in full in law or policy by governments across the UK and the world, including by making sure people have legal recourse if their human rights are denied.
No one’s enjoyment of their human rights should be impeded by discrimination so we also endorse the principles in the Equality Act 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland, and their prohibitions on discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Our work for freedom of choice
Below you can explore our policy briefings and active campaigns relating to freedom of choice, covering individual liberties and human rights.
Compassionate assisted dying
Giving people who are terminally ill or suffering the right to choose the circumstances of their death
Legal recognition for humanist marriages
So that humanist couples have the same rights as couples who have religious weddings
Campaign to end religious schools
We want to see an end to discrimination by state faith schools and to illegal religious schools
Ban conversion practices
A comprehensive ban that protects every LGBT+ person from so-called ‘conversion therapy’, with no loopholes
Policy briefings
Abortion lawWhile abortion has been decriminalised for women ending their own pregnancies in England and Wales, it is not yet fully decriminalised.Read the briefing →
Assisted dying: policy briefingToo many people are suffering unbearable pain due to incurable medical conditions; they may want to end their lives but due to the UK's assisted…Read the briefing →
Banning conversion practicesMany LGBT people have experienced so-called ‘conversion practices’ – also known as ‘conversion therapy’ – particularly from religious settings. This has attempted to ‘cure’ them…Read the briefing →
Caste discriminationThe Equality Act contains provisions outlawing caste discrimination, but they have never been brought into force.Read the briefing →
Conscientious objectionConscientious objection laws exist to protect individual’s freedoms, but are under threat of extension to places where this would harm the rights and freedoms of…Read the briefing →
Employment in faith schoolsReligious state schools discriminate against employees based on religion.Read the briefing →
Ending Equality Act exemptionsThe Equality Act 2010, which applies in Britain, contains a number of exceptions that allow religious organisations to discriminate against those of other beliefs or…Read the briefing →
Equality law loopholes for public servicesPublic services are sometimes contracted out to be run by religious groups, which can discriminate against service users and employees due to loopholes in equality…Read the briefing →
Faith school admissionsReligious state schools select pupils by their family’s religion, driving religious, social, and ethnic segregation.Read the briefing →
Free speech on campusUniversities and students’ unions sometimes try to ban ‘religiously offensive’ events and speech on campus.Read the briefing →
Freedom of religion or beliefFreedom of religion or belief is not always protected equally. Too often, it is treated as applying mainly to religious people, leaving humanists and others…Read the briefing →
Genital mutilationFemale genital mutilation is unlawful in the UK, but still frequently happens; while non-medical genital surgery on boys is often carried out without their consent.Read the briefing →
Legal recognition of humanist marriagesHumanist marriages are not legally recognised in England and Wales.Read the briefing →
Organ donationRead the briefing →
Private religious schoolsReligious private schools often fail to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and deny young people their basic freedoms.Read the briefing →
Public service broadcastingThe BBC makes lots of programmes about religions or for religious people, and almost none about or for non-religious people.Read the briefing →
Relationships and Sex EducationOpt-outs built into relationships and sex education (RSE) mean that many children are not receiving fact-based, objective teaching about sex and relationships. Others aren’t receiving…Read the briefing →
Religious 'courts'Religious ‘courts’ frequently discriminate against their users on the basis of, for example, gender, while sometimes failing to make clear they are not, in fact,…Read the briefing →
Religious EducationIn many schools the curriculum teaches religions as true, and in many others it teaches about religions but not non-religious worldviews like humanism.Read the briefing →
Socio-economic discriminationEngland and Northern Ireland have no law preventing socio-economic discrimination in, for example, the provision of housing, education, medical care, or other services.Read the briefing →
State chaplaincy and pastoral careMany institutions provide religious, often predominantly Anglican, chaplains, and fail to make equal provision for non-religious pastoral care.Read the briefing →
Strengthening children's rightsChildren's rights are not properly recognised in UK law, never mind upheld.Read the briefing →