Christian Legal Centre
The Christian Legal Centre is an organisation which, according to its website, exists "To promote and protect the freedoms of Bible believing Christians in the United Kingdom; to promote religious freedom as a fundamental right by means of legal action and public promotion."[1]
Contents
Cases
Emily Mapfuwa
In 2008, the Christian Legal Centre supported Emily Mapfuwa, a Christian who was offended by a sculpture of Christ with an erection, in a private prosecution against the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts for outraging public decency.[2] In November that year, the case was taken over and discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service, which concluded there was no case to answer.[3]
Owen and Eunice Johns
In 2008, the Centre supported Eunice and Owen Johns, who were were turned down as foster parents by Derby City Conucil, after they said they could not tell children it was acceptable to be homosexual. While the Centre was preparing to seek a judicial review, the council offered to allow the couple to reapply.[4]
Comment on Reproductive Ethics
In December 2008, the High Court rejected a legal challenge by the Centre and Comment On Reproductive Ethics, which sought to overturn a decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to allow the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos. Mr Justice Dobbs ruled the application was "totally without merit."[5]
Gary McFarlane
In 2008, the CLC took up the case of Gary McFarlane, a counsellor who was sacked by Relate, because he refused to give advice on sexual problems to homosexual couples.[6] At an employment tribunal hearing in December that year, counsel for Relate admitted that the organisation should given him notice to leave instead of dismissing him on the grounds of gross misconduct.[7] The tribunal upheld McFarlane's claim of wrongful dismissal, but ruled that he had not suffered religious discrimination.[8]
People
- Andrea Minichiello Williams - Director
- David Clark - Director
- Rob Andrews - Company Secretary
- Libby Blaxall - Solicitor
- Onn Sein Kon - Case Manager
- Paul Coleman - Trainee Solicitor
- Paul Eddy - Public Relations Consultant[9]
Notes
- ↑ About The Christian Legal Centre, Christian Legal Centre, 23 November 2007, accessed 30 August 2010.
- ↑ Helen Pidd, Christian sues gallery over 'blasphemous' erection, The Guardian, 3 September 2008.
- ↑ CPS to intervene in private prosecution of Gateshead art exhibition, Crown Prosecution Service, 10 November 2008.
- ↑ James Tozer, Adoption victory as council that told foster pair to condone homosexuality is forced to climb down, MailOnline, 11 May 2008.
- ↑ 'Hybrid embryo' legal block lost, BBC, 9 December 2008.
- ↑ Christian counsellor refusing to give advice on sexual problems to homosexual couples loses position with Relate, Christian Legal Centre, 27 October 2008, accessed 31 August 2010.
- ↑ Tony Grew, Relate welcomes tribunal ruling on Christian's claims of discrimination, Pink News, 9 January 2009.
- ↑ Court upholds Christian Counsellor's Claim for wrongful dismissal but law in confusion, Christian Legal Centre, 8 January 2009.
- ↑ About The Christian Legal Centre, Christian Legal Centre, 23 November 2007, accessed 30 August 2010.
