Writing your letter to Michael Gove MP
MPs appreciate the time it takes to draft a personal letter so, if possible, a handwritten or even typed letter is best.
If you do not have time to do this, then please do send an email. Even a short note is better than nothing at all!
Key points to make
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The religious liberty protections in the Bill are extremely narrow and far from robust.
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There is insufficient protection for chaplains employed by public organisations such as the Army and
the NHS who do not endorse the redefinition of marriage.
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The implications of the public sector equality duty for public sector employees have not been properly
addressed.
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Registrars who have a conscientious objection to same sex marriages are given no protection under
the Bill.
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Under the Bill there is no protection for providers of marriage services, e.g. people who provide
marriage preparation, marriage enrichment or marriage guidance counselling.
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Under the Bill churches will not be compelled to conduct same sex weddings. However it is far from
clear how this will still be the case if the European Court of Human Rights decides otherwise.
Amendments to the Bill
A number of key amendments have been tabled for Report Stage. At the time of writing most of the
amendments, but not all, are helpful and have been tabled by MPs leading the fight against the Bill.
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New Clause 1 protects religious schools from having to promote the new definition of marriage.
New Clause 2 provides registrars with the right to object to performing same sex marriages if based
on a 'sincerely held belief'.
New Clause 4, 5 and 6 protect public sector employees who believe that marriage is between one
man and one woman.
New Clause 9 provides for a referendum on the issue of same sex marriage to be held on 7 May
2015.
How to send your letter
You can send a letter to M r Gove at:
Michael Gove MP
House of Commons
London
SWIA OAA
Alternatively, the simplest way to send an email is to follow the instructions at www.writetothem.com