All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group
The All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group is a cross-party group of Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords of all three main parties, as well as members from the Crossbenches in the Lords. The Group has grown rapidly, from its first beginnings in the 1960s; in 1996 it had 47 members and it now has over 100. Associate membership of the Group is also open to staff of MPs and peers and staff working for the House of Commons or House of Lords.
The Group is not affiliated to or part of the BHA, but the BHA does provide the secretariat for the Group.
For more information you can email Naomi Phillips, BHA Head of Public Affairs and the APPHG Administrator.
The Group meets around 4 times a year to hear speakers and discuss relevant issues, as well as to share information and receive briefings on matters of interest. These matters are wide-ranging and include the promotion of a rational approach to bioethical, medical, and scientific issues, the defence of free speech, civil liberties and education.
Chair: Lord Warner of Brockley (Labour)
Vice Chairs: Baroness Flather of Windsor and Maidenhead (Crossbencher); Kelvin Hopkins MP (Labour); Lord Taverne of Pimlico (Liberal Democrat); Dr Julian Huppert MP (Liberal Democrat); Lord Garel-Jones (Conservative).
Secretary: Baroness Massey of Darwen (Labour)
Treasurer: Lord Dubs (Labour)
Two weeks before the Government’s consultation on same-sex marriage draws to a close, Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association is participating in a debate hosted by Catholic Voices on the motion, ‘This House Would Legalise Same-Sex Marriage’.
Lesley Pilkington, a psychotherapist who was found guilty of ‘professional malpractice’ for using the techniques of ‘conversion therapy’ (a bogus form of treatment which is supposed to make gay people become straight) has lost her appeal against the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Mrs Pilkington was found guilty of malpractice last year after trying to convert a gay client to heterosexuality, with the BACP describing her practice as ‘negligent’, ‘dogmatic’ and ‘unprofessional’. The British Humanist Association (BHA) welcomes the BACP’s decision.
A Welsh Government investigation into recent news that the Catholic Education Service (CES) encouraged schools to promote a petition against same-sex marriage has concluded that this led to schools breaking laws on political balance. The Government has also asked that any schools which promoted the petition now make pupils aware of ‘the converse view’. The British Humanist Association (BHA), who were the first to suggest these laws may have been broken, has welcomed the findings.
A new survey of Welsh adults carried out by YouGov has revealed that more people support the replacement of laws requiring Collective Worship in schools than support retaining them, and more support fully opening up Religious Education (RE) to non-religious beliefs than oppose it.
Leading sexual health groups, unions and religion and belief organisations have together written to Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, to ask that he issues guidance to prevent groups making false claims about abortion and contraception in schools. The letter particularly focuses on the behaviour of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Lovewise and Life, and was coordinated by Education For Choice (EFC) and the British Humanist Association (BHA). EFC and the BHA recently uncovered falsehoods spread by SPUC in schools through secret recordings, and are aware of similar inaccurate claims made by the other two groups.
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