All posts tagged: Marriages

Joint Committee on Human Rights pushes Government over legal recognition of humanist marriages

Joint Committee on Human Rights pushes Government over legal recognition of humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) asked the Government to know to know ‘when and how [it] proposes to address the continuing lack of legal recognition for humanist wedding ceremonies in England and Wales, bearing in mind the Administrative Court’s judgment in the Harrison case in 2020.’ In a letter to Justice Minister Lord Ponsonby, Committee Chair Lord Alton has asked the Government about a right already granted to humanist couples in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands. The Marriage Act 2013 granted the government the power to recognise humanist marriages, yet successive administrations have failed to implement the necessary legislation. This issue has been raised repeatedly in recent months in Parliament. In response, Lord Ponsonby has previously said that the Government would be ‘carefully considering the Law Commission’s report and have a duty to take the time to consider these important issues. We will set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months’. In the final report of its review of weddings law in England and Wales in 2022, the …

Cross-party peers push Government for timeline for humanist marriages

Cross-party peers push Government for timeline for humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

Peers from across the political spectrum – Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, and Crossbenchers – called on the Government to grant legal recognition to humanist marriages in England and Wales without further delay, and demanded a clear timeline for this reform. In a sign of frustration at the ongoing delay, this marked the third time in just four months that the House of Lords heard an oral question on the matter. Humanists UK welcomed the powerful interventions made by peers, but expressed its disappointment at the Government’s continued refusal to commit to long-overdue reform – despite having championed the measure for over a decade while in opposition. Labour peer Baroness Thornton, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), tabled the question. She asked the Government to set out its timetable for legal recognition of humanist weddings in England and Wales, and said that ‘the Minister has disappointed those who see this as a priority for the last eleven years, and have been asking the Government to take action’. Baroness Blackstone further pressed the Government …

Justice Committee presses Government on humanist marriages

Justice Committee presses Government on humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

The UK Government has had the power to legally recognise humanist marriages since 2013 and thousands of couples are waiting The House of Commons’ Justice Select Committee has pressed the UK Government to legally recognise humanist marriages without further delay. Committee Chair Andy Slaughter MP has written to Marriage Minister Lord Ponsonby to highlight that ‘humanist couples across England and Wales have been waiting for over a decade to marry legally in accordance with their beliefs’, and request that the Government sets out its position on reform of humanist marriages. The letter echoed frustration recently also expressed by peers in the House of Lords, and said: ‘As you know, humanist couples across England and Wales have been waiting for over a decade to marry legally in accordance with their beliefs. Despite being recognised in Scotland and Northern Ireland, legal recognition in England and Wales has been under constant review since 2013, most recently by the Law Commission in 2022. ‘The Marriage Act 2013 recognised “marriages according to the usages of belief-based organisations”, allowing the Government to …

Wales urges Ministry of Justice to ‘expedite’ legal recognition of humanist marriages

Wales urges Ministry of Justice to ‘expedite’ legal recognition of humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in Wales, Jane Hutt MS, has called on the UK Government to grant legal recognition to humanist marriages in England and Wales without delay. A letter to the Marriage Minister Lord Ponsonby urges the UK Government to ‘expedite progress in looking at this issue’. Humanists UK has welcomed the intervention. Humanist marriages are already legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey, but not in England and Wales. Marriage law is not devolved to Wales but is a matter for the UK Government for both England and Wales. The Welsh Government has long supported legal recognition of humanist marriages, and in 2021 told the UK Government that this issue should be resolved now, or else devolved. Legal recognition in England and Wales has been under constant UK Government review since 2013. The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act gave it the power to enact legal recognition of humanist marriages through secondary legislation. But in the years since, it has not done this. Instead the matter has been reviewed three times, …

Peers from all parties call for action on humanist marriages

Peers from all parties call for action on humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

During oral questions in the House of Lords today, Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, and crossbench peers called for the Government to act on legal recognition of humanist marriages. This is the second oral question on the subject asked in the Lords in the last two months. Humanists UK leads the campaign for the legal recognition of humanist marriages and welcomes the support expressed by peers. It expressed its disappointment that the Government has not yet committed to immediate reform, despite supporting this measure for over ten years while in opposition. Labour peer Lord Watson summarised the frustration felt by humanist couples across England and Wales when he said ‘Can I put it to [the Minister] that this is an equalities issue, and it offers the Government the chance to extend laws that exist for some UK citizens to all of us?’ Baroness Thornton, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), tabled the question. Labour peer Lord Dubs, also an APPHG member, spoke on her behalf. He asked whether the Government conducted an equality …

Cross-party peers call for immediate legal recognition of humanist marriages

Cross-party peers call for immediate legal recognition of humanist marriages

Published by skeptic

Humanists weddings are not legally recognised in England and Wales, unlike Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and Ireland Peers from the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties, from the Crossbenches, and even a bishop spoke in favour of the immediate legal recognition of humanist marriages in England and Wales in the House of Lords today. During oral questions, the cross-party peers pressed the Government on its reluctance to set out a timescale on giving humanist couples to marry in line with their beliefs. Humanists UK leads the campaign for the legal recognition of humanist marriages and welcomed the calls made by peers. But it expressed its disappointment that the Government did not commit to immediate reform, despite supporting this measure for over ten years while in opposition. Labour peer Baroness Thornton, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), tabled the question. She asked whether the Government plans to give legal recognition to humanist weddings and said: ‘Not only did this House put humanist marriage in the Equal Marriage Act of 2013 but, in …

Have open marriages gone mainstream? – podcast | News

Have open marriages gone mainstream? – podcast | News

Published by skeptic

When Molly Roden Winter stormed out of the house one evening, fed up with her husband returning home too late to help with their children, things took an unexpected turn. She went to a bar with a friend and ended up meeting a much younger man. But instead of an affair, she tells Helen Pidd, her interest in this other man sparked a surprising conversation with her husband – and led to them opening up their marriage to other people. Non-monogamous marriages and polyamorous relationships are hardly new or unheard of. But Winter’s book seems to have hit a chord because her family and her marriage looked so conventional – and she says we still seldom hear stories about mothers in relationships with more than one person. Winter explains what she learned about herself and relationships from her open marriage. And how she discovered her mother had also had an open relationship but had kept it hidden. In the UK, another mother of young children has written a book inspired by her open marriage, while …

The Duggar Family Tree: ‘Counting’ All the Marriages, Kids and Major Announcements

The Duggar Family Tree: ‘Counting’ All the Marriages, Kids and Major Announcements

Published by Sam

The world first met the Duggar family when they were just a clan of 16, featured in the 2004 documentary 14 Children and Pregnant Again. The supersized conservative brood’s fame grew along with their family, eventually leading to the hit TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting, which followed their adventures in home schooling, courtship and family expansion.  After the show’s cancellation in 2015, fans continued to follow the Duggars on six seasons of their follow-up series Counting On, as well as on their various social media pages. Led by parents Jim Bob and Michelle, the Duggar family now consists of 19 kids, 11 sons- and daughters-in-law, and nearly 30 grandchildren — and counting! As the eldest Duggar kids are growing up, getting married and having kids of their own, it can be hard to keep track of everyone. Here’s ET’s handy Duggar family tree — from Jim Bob to Josie — tracking marriages, births and all the other big announcements. JIM BOB and MICHELLE Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar married on July 21, 1984, and started their family four years later with the …

Happily Ever After: 5 Important Features of Modern Marriages

Happily Ever After: 5 Important Features of Modern Marriages

Published by skeptic

Leonardo Miranda / Unsplash Watching old Disney movies as an adult makes me cringe. Sure, there are sweet moments, funny scenes, and heartwarming songs, but the messaging within the storylines is outdated and, in some cases, offensive. Since those fairy tales from our childhoods, the script of marriage has undergone a dramatic rewrite. Gone are the days of Cinderella waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. In today’s world, couples are blending traditional values with progressive, egalitarian views. Let’s take a walk down the aisle of modern marriage, exploring how expectations have changed over time and what the happiest, healthiest marriages are made of. How Marriage Has Evolved Historically, marriage was a pragmatic union driven by economic stability and social status. However, as society evolved, so did the expectations surrounding marriage. According to Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage, marriage has transitioned from an institution focused on duty and obligation to one centered on love and companionship. But behind the glittering façade of Instagram-worthy nuptials lies a …

Women’s hair quality linked to increased sexual frequency in marriages

Women’s hair quality linked to increased sexual frequency in marriages

Published by José

A study conducted in South Korea on heterosexual married couples revealed that women with longer and higher quality hair engaged in sexual intercourse more frequently with their spouses compared to those with shorter or lower-quality hair. The study suggests that high-quality hair enhances husbands’ perception of their wives’ attractiveness and increases their sexual desire towards them. In contrast, men’s hair length and quality did not influence the frequency of sexual activities. The paper was published in the Frontiers in Psychology. Long and beautiful hair in women has been a symbol of femininity and attractiveness across various cultures and historical periods. It is associated with youth, health, and vitality. Healthy hair can be an indicator of good nutrition and overall well-being. In many societies, long hair is seen as a sign of beauty and is often linked to notions of elegance and grace. Long hair in women can also hold cultural and religious significance, representing purity, spiritual strength, or social status in different contexts. Additionally, long hair provides a canvas for personal expression, allowing women to …