The amendment abolishing the blasphemy law was carried by 148 votes to 87 in the House of Lords. The fiery debate had a near record turn-out of bishops, who were split between those accepting the inevitability of change and those lamenting the signal abolition would give about the decline in religious influence and the secularisation of society. Some feared that abolition would unleash a tide of blasphemous publications.

Hanne Stinson, British Humanist Association Chief Executive, said: ‘We are delighted that the amendment has been passed in the House of Lords, and this shows a clear commitment from across the political and belief spectrums to abolish the outdated and discriminatory blasphemy laws. We are also pleased that the Government made clear the need to protect atheists and Humanists from discrimination, as well as to protect religious people. Unlike the blasphemy laws which protect only Church of England doctrine and belief, recent legislation to protect against religious hatred seeks to protect individuals of all faiths and none.’

Terry Sanderson, President of the UK’s National Secular Society (NSS) said, “This is the culmination of the Society’s 140-year fight to abolish this medieval law under which many innocent victims have suffered. Even in the 20th century, one of my predecessors was jailed for blasphemy, and an old man was sentenced to hard labour, causing his premature death. The laws have been criticised recently as being uncertain, without penalty and widely believed not to be compliant with human rights. I pay tribute to all those who have suffered under this cruel law, denying freedom of expression, and to those before me who have campaigned for its abolition. Our celebrations will be overshadowed by the knowledge that parliaments elsewhere in the world will soon be pressurised into passing a new law even more pernicious than blasphemy. It will outlaw so-called defamation of religion. Pressure to pass this law is coming from a bloc of Islamic countries organised by the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference). Having made their demands at the UN Human Rights Commission, they are now planning to lobby the Inter-Parliamentary Union.”

Humanists Call for Repeal of U.S. Blasphemy Laws

Following Wednesday’s (5th March 2008) action by the British House of Lords to abolish all blasphemy laws in the United Kingdom, the American Humanist Association reiterated its longstanding call to remove all such statutes wherever they appear within the United States and its territories. Though few Americans know of their existence, unenforceable blasphemy laws appear on the books in several U.S. states, including Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wyoming. No such federal laws exist. And in 1952, in Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against blasphemy bans of all sorts.