liberal reforming legislation Flashcards
End of Capital Punishment - situation before reform
detah penalty enforced
End of Capital Punishment - process of reform
Support for anti hanging campaign added by hanging of Ruth Ellis in 1955 (last woman to be hanged)
Sydney Silverman, Labour backbencher campaigned to win support for total abolition
1965, on a free votes, hanging abolished on trial - made permanent in 1969
Divorce Reform - situation before reform
Until 1960s, divorce law demanded evidence that one party committed adultery
Divorce reform - process
Jenkins proposed divorce reform act 1969
Allowed ‘no fault’ marriage
Could divorce if: they had lived apart for 2 years + two partners agreed to divorce, or if had lived apart for 5 years
impact of divorce reform
Following reform, huge increase in number of divorces, by mid 1970s, 10/1000 marriages ended in divorce.
Partly explained by growing independence of women, but act also had impact.
Legislation of Abortion - situation before reform
Until 1967, abortion (except on strictly medical grounds) was illegal. Only way to get an abortion was to go to private clinic (expensive) or an unsafe backstreet abortionist.
Between 100,000-200,000 illegal abortions performed each year.
legalisation of abortion - process of reform
Abortion Law Reform Association campaigned for reform from 1945, argued that legal obstacles to abortion should be removed to end problems
Thalidomide disaster 1959-62 swayed public opinion
Lib MP David Steel led reform campaign in parliament: supported by labour gov + some conservatives, Roy Jenkins ensured all-night commons sitting to pass bill
Abortion Act permitted legal termination of a pregnancy within first 28 weeks, under med sup. + consent of 2 drs - justification needed = mental suffering of pregnant person
legalisation of abortion - opposition
Opposition = 1966 Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, thought liberalisation of law would lead to abortion on demand
impact of abortion reforms
Number of abortions increased from 4 per 100 live births (1968) to 17.6 (1975)
Legalisation of Homosexual Relations - situation before reforms
Men could be imprisoned up to two years for homosexual acts.
Conservative govt had rejected Wolfenden recommendation to decriminalise homosexuality.
Legalisation of Homosexual Relations - process of reform
Labour divided on matter
Leo Abse, labour backbencher + with support of Jenkins, got enough parliamentary time for private members bill to become law
1967 sexual offences act
Didn’t legalise homosexual acts, just decriminalised them when: both partners consenting, over age of 21, in private
impact of homosexual reforms
Welcomed by men who had been previously afraid to declare sexuality.
However, ‘in private’ = no one else in building, so not the complete end of homosexual practices.
development of comprehensives pre labour reform
Existing schools not seen as equal - secondary modern pupils seen as 11+ failure; education system socially divisive - grammar school places largely went to the middle classes.
LEAs responsible for schools.
higher education pre reform
Robbins committee already est (1961) – report found that britain lagged behind france, germany + us in provision of uni places, not enough study of science + tech
Development of comprehensives
1 in 10 pupils educated in a comprehensive by 1964 - process of comprehensive school system accelerated by Tony Crosland becoming minister of education
Issued circular 10/65 to all LEAs, requesting them to convert to comprehensives
Not statutory req, but many authorities responded (esp since govt made money for new school buildings conditional on them turning into comps)
By 1970, 1145 comprehensive schools catering for ⅓ of all state educated sec. School pupils
