Question about English law on religion and marriages

[Vance R. Koven]

Here's an excerpt from the Civil Partnership Act 2004, Ch. 33 §6 (I claim
fair use for this short excerpt under governing US law--Eugene can defend
me):

* 2004 CHAPTER 33 *

Butterworths UK Statutes
Copyright 2008, Butterworths Tolley UK
a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc.
All rights reserved.
*** THIS DOCUMENT IS CURRENT THROUGH 22 FEBRUARY, 2008 ***
*CIVIL **PARTNERSHIP** ACT 2004*
*2004 CHAPTER 33*
*PART 2 **CIVIL** PARTNERSHIP:** ENGLAND AND WALES*
*Registration procedure: general*
Royal Assent [18 November 2004]
Civil Partnership Act 2004, Ch. 33, s. 6 (Eng.)
*6 Place of registration*

(1) The place at which two people may register as civil partners of each
other--

(a) must be in England or Wales,

(b) must not be in religious premises, and

(c) must be specified in the notices, or notice, of proposed civil
partnership required by this Chapter.

(2) "Religious premises" means premises which--

(a) are used solely or mainly for religious purposes, or

(b) have been so used and have not subsequently been used solely or mainly
for other purposes.

[(3) Subsections (3A) and (3B) apply in the case of registration under the
standard procedure (including that procedure modified as mentioned in
section 5).

(3A) The place must be--

(a) on approved premises, or

(b) in a register office.

(3B) If it is in a register office, the place must be open to any person
wishing to attend the registration.

(3C) In this Chapter "register office" means a register office provided
under section 10 of the Registration Service Act 1953.]


On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 12:44 PM, Volokh, Eugene <VOLOKH at law.ucla.edu>
wrote:

>        An English newspaper site reports:
>
> http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.a
> spx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsis
> lg&itemid=WeED16%20Apr%202008%2013%3A51%3A32%3A940<http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED16%20Apr%202008%2013%3A51%3A32%3A940>
>
> Newington Green Unitarian Church, which the 18th century feminist Mary
> Wollstonecraft once attended, has announced it will not hold marriages
> until it is able to conduct civil partnerships for gay couples....
>
> At the moment, the law bans any religious service from taking place
> during a gay civil partnership....
>
>        Is that really the law in England?  Many thanks,
>
>        Eugene
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-- 
Vance R. Koven
Boston, MA USA
vrkoven at world.std.com
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