Christian JP in gay parents row sues Hunt over lost job
A CHRISTIAN magistrate sacked for speaking out against adoption by same-sex parents is suing Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt after also losing a senior NHS role.
Richard Page was suspended as an NHS Trust director following decades of service in the organisation after he said it was better for children to be brought up by a man and a woman.
It was claimed his remarks ‘undermined’ the confidence of staff and patients, and the former NHS finance manager has now been effectively barred from working again as a non-executive director on the board at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT).
The 70-year-old father-of-three is taking his case against Mr Hunt to an employment tribunal on the grounds of religious discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
In March, Mr Page was dismissed as a JP after 15 years by then Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas after making his comments in a BBC TV discussion.
They said his views were ‘biased and prejudiced against single-sex adopters’ and brought the magistrates’ courts into disrepute.
Days later, after just one complaint from a staff member, he was suspended by the NHS after Andrew Ling, the KMPT chairman, wrote to the Trust chiefs saying his comments would have a major impact on ‘the perception of living the Trust values’. In a letter to Mr Page, Mr Ling said: ‘The recent publicity you have courted is likely to further undermine the confidence staff, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) staff, have in the leadership of the Trust.’
Mr Page reapplied for the role of non-executive director after his term expired in the summer, but his application has been rejected by an NHS panel.
He said recent laws passed by the Government ‘silenced Christians’ and made it impossible for him to follow the Bible and keep a public role. He added: ‘More than 6,500 people signed a petition or directly emailed the Trust to back me in my battle with the NHS, but only one complained about my views.’
Andrea Minichiello Williams of the Christian Legal Centre which is supporting Mr Page, said: ‘Once again we find political leaders washing their hands of Christians prepared to stand up for their faith.’
Laws to allow gay couples to adopt were introduced in 2002, and the number of such adoptions has quadrupled in the past five years.