 |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|
|
British Humanist Association e-bulletin 12th July 2010 Editorial | Action Alert from IHEU | News| HumanistLife | BHA Events |’Affiliated Groups Events | Other Events | Take Action Reminders A reminder: Our AGM is this Saturday, 17th July. The programme and other details are on our website at Events: BHA AGM 2010. You must be a current and paid up member to attend. Areithi Cymraeg? We are looking for volunteers to translate some of our materials into Welsh. We can then use these at events and party conferences held in Wales to generate interest in our work. If you speak Welsh and can spare a couple of hours to translate for us, please emailpepper@humanism.org.uk Last week was National Transplant Week, which aims to increase the number of people who register to become organ donors. For most humanists – not believing in a continued personal existence after death, and not placing a mystical value on the human body extra to the value we have as living human beings – there is little reason to object to allowing ones organs to be used to help others after our death. Indeed, organ transplantation is rightly regarded as a colossal achievement of medical science, made possible only by accumulated advances in various fields, and the capacity of human beings to scientifically explore even the workings of our own bodies. BHA Distinguished Supporter Sir Roy Calne performed several ‘world first’ pioneering transplant operations. Some people object to their organs being used after their death because of religious beliefs, and that is their right. Most humanists seem to consider that we have a moral responsibility to allow our organs to be used for transplantation, if that will help save lives and improve the quality of life for others. However, although the great majority of people are willing to receive an organ if they need one, only 28% of people are on the donation register. This means that 10,000 people currently need a transplant in the UK, and three people die every day whilst waiting. The BHA has been supporting campaigns for a better system where people opt out of being a donor rather than having to opt in. Those who do object to post-mortem organ transplantation can opt out, but the number of donors would increase dramatically, shortening transplant waiting lists and saving many more lives. In the meantime, it is important to recognise that carrying a donor card does not necessarily mean your organs will be available in the event of your death. You also have toformally register your wishes with the NHS and tell your family your wishes. Action Alert from International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) The following message is from IHEU. Leo Igwe, IHEU's Representative in West Africa and his family have been subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by local police including multiple arrests on unsubstantiated charges. IHEU is seeking donations to its Human Rights Defense Fund to help Leo pay the substantial legal costs. The harassment began when Leo started a campaign to bring to justice a powerful local man accused of rape by a ten-year-old girl. Thanks to Leo's efforts, the accused rapist is now facing trial, but he has enough money and influence in the notoriously corrupt Nigerian legal system to persuade police to harass the Igwe family. Leo Igwe’s father, who is 77 and a diabetic in failing health, has been arrested six times on false charges since 2007. Two of Leo's brothers have been detained three times each in connection with the same case. On January 9, 2010, Sonja Eggerickx, President of IHEU, wrote to the president of Nigeria, as well as the Nigerian attorney general, minister for the police, and the local governor to request an end the police harassment of Leo Igwe and his family. In March 2010, the IHEU raised the Igwes’ case, and the persecution of human rights defenders in general, at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Nonetheless, Leo Igwe continues to incur substantial legal fees defending himself and his family from these malicious prosecutions. Commenting on the case, IHEU President Sonja Eggerickx said, ‘Leo is fearless and selfless in fighting for justice for others. He is never afraid to speak truth to power, even when he is the lone voice and knows that the powerful may hurt him. It is up to the global Humanist community to show that he does not stand alone and that we will work together to ensure justice for him.’ Please make a donation now by clicking on the credit card or PayPal logos on any page of the IHEU web site. (Or you can click here for our credit card page.) To ensure that your donation is allocated to this work, please send us a message using our contact form, with the text ‘My donation of GBP (amount) is for the Defence Fund. (Your full name.)’ If IHEU receives more money than is needed for Leo Igwe's defence, the surplus will be used by the IHEU Human Rights Defence Fund to support other Humanists who are being persecuted for championing their beliefs. NEWS MPs call for an end to compulsory collective worship in schools The BHA is leading a new parliamentary campaign to end compulsory collective worship in schools. Julian Huppert MP, member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for the law requiring schools to hold a daily act of "broadly Christian" worship to be repealed. The EDM notes that repealing the law would reflect the Government’s wish to free schools from prescriptive statutory requirements and stresses the educational value of inclusive school assemblies. The EDM comes just days after a suggestion to repeal the law on collective worship became one of the most popular ideas on the Government’s “Your Freedom” website. BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson stated, ‘We welcome this EDM calling for an end to compulsory collective worship and urge all MPs to sign it. The law is a clear infringement of the right to freedom of belief, forcing pupils to take part in worship regardless of what they personally believe. Teachers too are put in a very difficult position, having to lead acts of worship which may not represent their own beliefs. ‘Teachers, parents and pupils themselves have consistently opposed compulsory collective worship. In scrapping this outdated and discriminatory law, schools will be free to hold inclusive educational assemblies which can build shared values and a sense of community.’ See below to take action on collective worship. BHA briefs Lords ahead of debate on libel law reform The first Parliamentary debate concerning the reform of libel laws takes place in the House of Lords today (Friday 9th of July). The British Humanist Association (BHA) has briefed peers ahead of the debate to stress the need for improvements in the current system. The Defamation Bill takes the first step in addressing flaws within the libel system by seeking to protect individuals and organisations that report on activities of public concern. Campaigns Officer Pepper Harrow, explains, ‘Under the current laws, journalists, human rights campaigners and scientists are effectively censored from conducting and reporting enquires and analysis on a wide range of subjects due to the threat of hugely expensive legal action. ‘As a supporter of the Libel Reform Campaign, the BHA believes that freedom of speech is a prerequisite for an open and democratic society. Unreasonable restrictions on expression undermine debate and progress.’ More news in brief... Political correctness had gone mad and they’re banning Christmas! Or not. The BHA reacted last week to reported comments from the Communities Minster Eric Pickles that, “Labour tried to force Britons to turn their back on faith and heritage in the name of political correctness.” In an interview with the Sunday Express, the Minister reacted to news that some councils, rather than focussing on Christmas, prefer to have inclusive winter festivals that cover many different religious festivals that fall in December and the secular aspect of the winter solstice. He described such inclusive festivals as existing “only in the minds of a few bean bag-sitting weirdos” and argued against “puffed up” council bosses ‘banning’ council prayers. Pepper Harow, BHA Campaigns Officer, responded, ‘The Minister is reacting to events that are not actually occurring. No one is trying to ban Christmas or to ban people from praying...’ Read more of our response. The BHA condemned the Government’s decision not to protect the inclusive nature of community schools which become Academies, following Wednesday’s Report Stage debate on the Academies Bill in the Lords. BHA distinguished supporter and secretary to the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group Lady Massey tabled an amendment to ensure inclusive community schools could not take on a religious character when becoming Academies and so begin discriminating on religious grounds. Lady Massey said she feared a proliferation of state-funded faith schools that could lead to religious and economic segregation. BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said: ‘It is disgraceful that the Government refuses to protect the inclusive nature of community schools. There is a very real risk that the Bill will lead to a proliferation of new “faith schools” by allowing community schools under religious influence – from religious organisations offering financial support, for example – to take on a religious character after conversion. This would be a hugely retrograde step.’ Read more of our response. HUMANISTLIFE Today on HumanistLife – a bust of Harold Blackham which resides in the BHA offices has made it into the BBC/British Museum’s list of “History of the World” objects. Distinguished Supporter Susan Blackmore is on Cif talking consciousness and science. And there will be more later from the Humanist Heroes series. In addition you can now sign in to the site using a Facebook account, for a more joined-up experience! BHA EVENTS Holyoake Lecture 2010: John Harris on ‘Taking the “human” out of Humanism’ 21 October 2010, 6pm at St Peter's House, Precinct Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9GH Discovery and innovation are creating new technologies which challenge our notions of humanity to and beyond breaking point. These technologies will improve cognitive powers, extend life expectancy and enable us to interact intimately with machines. It is certain that in the future there will be no more human beings but we may hope that there will still be beings for whom the philosophy of humanism, almost certainly under a new name, is relevant and important. John Harris has written widely on bioethical issues, includingEnhancing Evolution: The Ethical Case for Making People Better,Clones Genes and Immortality, and On Cloning for the Thinking In Action series. You can buy your tickets online. Or you can pay over the phone with a credit or debit card at 020 7079 3580. Lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. AFFILIATED GROUP EVENTS Find a local humanist group near you North Yorkshire Humanist Group Monday 12th July, 7.30pm. Denham Room, Priory Street Centre, York YO1 6ET. A talk by BHA accredited celebrant Michelle Burns on "Being a Humanist Celebrant". www.humanism.org.uk/meet-up/groups/north-east/north-yorkshire Suffolk Humanists and Secularists Tuesday 13th July, 7.30pm. Pinewood Hall, Hawthorne Drive, Pinewood, Ipswich, IP8 3SL Film showing: 2500 years (and more) of Freethinking in Europe, from the European Humanist Federation. http://www.humanism.org.uk/meet-up/groups/east-anglia/suffolk OTHER EVENTS Human Rights in the Community 8th July, The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, 1 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DB, 9.30am-1pm HEAR, EREN(English Regions Equality Network), BIHR(British Institute of Human Rights) and RAISEare pleased to be hosting a jointevent for London and the South East of England’s voluntary and community sector on human rights, helping the third sector to empower the lives of individuals and communities. Collective Worship In England all state maintained schools are legally required to provide daily collective worship for all their pupils. In community schools the majority of the acts of daily collective worship that are provided in a given term are legally required to be of a ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’. In ‘faith schools’ the act of worship is provided in accordance with the school's trust deed or the tenets and practices of the religion or religious denomination of the school. We are strongly in favour of inclusive school assemblies, which can help to build shared values and a sense of community. We oppose acts of collective worship in school, since these exclude many, and believe that the parental right of excusal is not a proper solution. You can email your MP and sign our petition More information on worship in schools Thought for the Day The BBC are running a consultation on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 7. This is your chance to tell them what you think about their programming! We want an end to the privileged status and position of religions and religious broadcasting by the BBC, and for some programmes about humanism or from a humanist perspective to be broadcast. In spite of legislation making clear that religions and beliefs, including non-religious beliefs such as Humanism, should be treated equally in terms of broadcasting, the BBC continues to resist doing so. We want the BBC to fulfil its obligations and include Humanist programmes in its broadcasting! Take Action! The new government has announced that it will ensure ‘all schools have greater freedom over the curriculum’ and has also announced that it will not be implementing the new primary curriculum proposed by the previous government which, among other things, included evolution for the first time. We are concerned that this will mean that there will be less evolution taught in schools and a greater risk that some schools, particularly ‘faith schools’ may try to introduce creationism into the science classroom. You can take Action Now! Protest the Pope! The Pope is planning to visit the UK on a Papal visit later this year. The Pope's opposition to women's reproductive rights, gay equality, embryonic stem cell research and the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV has a huge effect on the human rights of millions of people across the globe. We want to make sure that the UK government understands our concerns, takes the opportunity to speak out against these practices and does not make the taxpayer cover the cost of the visit. You can: Not already a BHA member? Join now and support our vital work! ABOUT THE E-BULLETIN BHA policy How to contribute If you have an upcoming event or news item you would like mentioned in this bulletin, please email the editor (we reserve the right to edit submissions for publication). Enjoyed the bulletin? Why not forward it on? Feel free to send the bulletin to humanist and freethinking friends, and any local or national media contacts. To unsubscribe from this bulletin, email website@humanism.org.uk with “Unsubscribe from BHA e-bulletin” in the subject line. Contact us The British Humanist Association 1 Gower Street London WC1E 6HD Tel: 020 7079 3580 Bob Churchill Head of Membership and Promotion British Humanist Association (BHA) 1 Gower Street, London WC1E 6HD Tel: 020 7079 3586 Fax: 020 7079 3588 Find us on social networking sites via www.humanism.org.uk/meet-up/online The BHA is a Registered charity no. 285987 and depends on donations and legacies from its members and supporters to carry out its work. You can join or donate orregister for our free e-bulletin online.
|
|