One down, six to go....

From PINK NEWS : ENGLAND: Catholic Care will end its 100-year-old adoption service, which places 20 children with new families every year, because it does not want to help same-sex couples adopt. The Sexual Orientation Regulations, passed earlier this year, protect gay, lesbian and bisexual people from discrimination when accessing goods and services. Now all adoption agencies have to accept same-sex couples as possible parents.The charity is one of seven Catholic leader Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor threatened to close because of the laws. They receive a total of £10 million a year from local councils.Ben Summerskill, who as head of gay equality organisation Stonewall spearheaded oppoosition to an exemption for Roman Catholic-run adoption agencies, told Pink News:"Our clear view is that if you run a public service then you have to abide by the health and safety legislation, and equality legislation too. That applies to adoption agencies just as it does to anyone else.""It is not entirely clear that this is the only reason that Catholic adoption agencies are considering closing. Because of the way that social services are now contracted out, a number of smaller agencies have been closing in recent years. It would be utterly reprehensible if the Catholic Church were to use closures that were going to take place anyway as an excuse for alarmist claims about important new legislation that supports equality."