U.k. Morals Bill (Press, 28 May 1965)
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Summary: U.k. Morals Bill (Press, 28 May 1965)
On 27 May 1965, the House of Commons in Britain rejected a proposal aimed at legalising homosexual practices in private between consenting adults. Labour Member Mr Leo Abse put forward a private Bill to reform an antiquated law on homosexuality that had been in place for 600 years. However, the proposal faced a significant setback as it was defeated by a vote of 178 to 159. This decision means that the likelihood of the Bill becoming law in that parliamentary session has diminished considerably. The previous week, the House of Lords had agreed in principle to a similar Bill, which raised Mr Abse's hopes that the tide was turning in favour of reform. He expressed that the House of Lords' earlier vote signified a critical moment in the campaign for legal reform, suggesting that the existing criminal code, which is widely opposed by informed opinion, could not be maintained indefinitely. Opposition to the Bill was voiced by Conservative M.P. Sir Cyril Osborne, who argued that legalising homosexuality would be contrary to the public interest. He claimed that in recent security controversies, traitors and spies had predominantly been homosexuals, an assertion that reflects the prevailing social prejudices of the time. The outcome of the House of Commons vote highlights the significant social and political obstacles that proponents of reform faced in the 1960s, despite some momentum gained in the House of Lords. With the defeat of the Bill, the campaign for legalising homosexual acts between consenting adults encountered a daunting challenge in the political landscape of Britain, prolonging the uncertainty surrounding homosexual rights.
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