1964-70: Liberal reforming legislation

Question 1

Why were some of the permissive changes that the Labour government introduced ahead of their time?

Answer 1

The abolition of capital punishment, the Abortion Act, the Sexual Offences Act, and divorce reform all met with a good deal of media criticism and public hostility.

Question 2

What is a private members’ bill?

Answer 2

Backbench MPs are allowed to propose legislation through private members’ bills rather than it being part of government policy.

Question 3

What did the 1960s see backbench MP’s bring forward?

Answer 3

A number of reforms through this mechanism. They were successful as Jenkins (Home Secretary), was sympathetic, enabling enough parliamentary time to be available for the reforms to be passed.

Question 4

What did Jenkins do about capital punishment?

Answer 4

It was temporarily abolished in 1965 and made permanent in 1969.

Question 5

Why was the abolition of capital punishment not completely successful?

Answer 5

Jenkins brought in ‘majority’ verdicts (10 instead of 12) to the jury which helped to convict criminals, but this did not significantly reduce the number of murders of violent crimes.

Question 6

Until the 1960s, what did the divorce law demand evidence of?

Answer 6

That one party had committed adultery - the rich used private detectives and cameras, but for others, a divorce was often impossible.

Question 7

What did Jenkins believe about divorce?

Answer 7

That its laws were out of date so the Divorce Reform Act was passed in 1969.

Question 8

What were the terms of the divorce act?

Answer 8

Couples could divorce if:

• They had lived apart for 2 years and both partners agreed to a divorce.
• They had lived apart for 5 years and one partner wanted the divorce.

Question 9

Give an example of an MP who opposed the Divorce Reform Act.

Answer 9

Conservative MP Victor Goodhew - ‘erosion of Christian upbringing’.

Question 10

What effect did the Divorce Reform Act have?

Answer 10

A huge increase in the number of divorces:

• In 1950 there had been fewer than 2 divorce decrees per 1000 married couples.
• By mid 1970s nearly 10 in every 1000 marriages ended this way.

Question 11

What happened as a result of abortion being illegal between 1958 and 1960?

Answer 11

82 women died after backstreet abortions.
As well as this, up until 1967 when the abortion act was passed, 35,000 women were admitted to hospitals with complications.

Question 12

What swayed public opinion in favour of the legalisation of abortion?

Answer 12

The thalidomide disaster of 1959-1962.

Question 13

Give evidence to suggest that people were still against abortion.

Answer 13

In 1966 the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child was set up to oppose any liberalisation of the law.

Question 14

Why did the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child oppose abortion?

Answer 14

They feared that any extension of abortion beyond strict medical grounds would lead to abortion on demand.

Question 15

What did the Abortion Act permit?

Answer 15

The legal termination of a pregnancy within the first 28 weeks, under medical supervision and with the written consent of 2 doctors.

Question 16

What was the only justification needed for abortion?

Answer 16

The ‘mental suffering’ of the pregnant woman, not just her physical condition.

Question 17

What effect did the 1967 Abortion Act have?

Answer 17

The number of abortions increased from 4 per 100 live births 1968 (35,000) to 17.6 in 1975 (141,000)

Question 18

When was the Sexual Offences Act passed? What did it do?

Answer 18

1967. Although this did not legalise homosexual acts it decriminalised them where 3 conditions were met:
      - Both partners had to consent
      - Both had to be over the age of 21
      - It had to be in private.

Question 19

Who welcomed the Sexual Offences Act?

Answer 19

Men who had previously been afraid to declare their sexuality and been forced to lead double lives.

Question 20

Why was the Sexual Offences Act not the complete end for homosexual practises?

Answer 20

‘In private’ was interpreted as no one else being in the same building.

Question 21

When were the Race Relations Acts passed? What were they responsible for?

Answer 21

1965 and 1968

• Stopping racial discrimination in public and in areas such as employment and housing.
• Making incitement to racial hatred an offence.
• Setting up Race Relations Board to investigate complaints of racism
• Setting up Community Relations Commission to promote inter-racial understanding.