Catholics back gay marriage as Protestants plump for euthanasia

Gay marriage is backed by a greater proportion of Catholics than Protestants in Britain, as a divide emerges between the two branches of Christianity on the shifting role of marriage.

In a YouGov survey half of Catholics said they supported gay marriage compared to 40 percent that opposed it, while 47 percent of Protestants opposed same-sex marriage, two percent more than those that supported it.

Whilst the Catholics were more liberal on the marriage issue, Protestants emerged as more more accepting of assisted dying, or euthanasia. But the picture on abortion was more complex still:

Commenting on the findings, Will Dahlgreen and Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare of YouGov said:

The overall picture that emerges is a Christian population that is more conservative on these issues than the country at large, but perhaps less so than you might expect.

Under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, which came into effect in 2014, the Church of England is forbidden from conducting gay marriage ceremonies, though all other churches, including the Catholic one, are free to do so.

Abortion and euthanasia remain controversial subjects for the religious, with many believing that the power to give and take life should be left in the hands of their imaginary friend (almost all other forms of medicine notwithstanding. But nobody said religion was consistent).

Whilst reducing the current 24-week limit for abortions does not curry support among Britons, the Tory health secretary Jeremy Hunt said back in 2012 that he wishes to halve the limit to 12 weeks.

At present the government has no plans to allow assisted dying for terminally ill, though the idea is widely supported.

Image Credit – Westminster Cathedral, August 2007 by Bernard Gagnon