Author: Stephen Evans
Women in NI should have the same abortion rights as other UK citizens
Other people's religious beliefs shouldn't be allowed to continue to thwart women's access to safe and accessible... Read More »
The lockdown exemption for communal worship represents a dangerous double standard
With the country again plunged into a strict lockdown, Stephen Evans questions the rationale behind and wisdom of... Read More »
All I want for Christmas is freedom of and from religion
Opponents often erect a straw man of secularism to justify demands for religious privilege. But freedom of religion... Read More »
Religion is not a justification for discrimination
A shadow minister was wrong to say religious registrars should be able to opt out of providing same-sex marriages.... Read More »
Church and state should be separate
Ahead of the NSS's 2020 Bradlaugh Lecture on the subject, Stephen Evans says the disestablishment of the Church of... Read More »
Those providing public services – including religious groups – should respect reasonable boundaries
Following a call for a greater role for religion in public services, Stephen Evans argues that any expansion of faith-based... Read More »
The Scottish hate crime bill is a threat to free and open debate
As ministers reportedly consider changing Scotland's hate crime bill to address free expression concerns, Stephen... Read More »
Why make a spectacle out of religion in the courtroom?
Stephen Evans argues that the current system of religious oaths and affirmations should be replaced by a universal... Read More »
We must protect pupils’ educational rights where schools consistently fail
Religious schools that censor textbooks, teach creationism and limit pupils' chances aren't respecting the right to... Read More »
Places of worship shouldn’t reopen prematurely
As a group of religious leaders threatens legal action over the closure of places of worship during the coronavirus... Read More »
Will Wales lead the way in reforming Religious Education?
The Welsh government's plans to reform RE risk being a missed opportunity for more radical reform of the way we approach... Read More »
Why respect religious demands to keep pupils in the dark?
After a select committee chair urged more leeway for a faith school which has long censored textbooks, Stephen Evans... Read More »
The bishops’ bench is an affront to democracy. Let’s scrap it
A new bill proposes to end Church of England bishops' automatic right to sit in parliament. This religious privilege... Read More »
Promote religious freedom in schools: abolish the worship requirement
A private member's bill to replace compulsory worship with inclusive assemblies should prompt the government to reform... Read More »
Don’t let controlling ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups undermine sex education
Sex education empowers young people. The government must stand up to those making faux religious freedom arguments... Read More »
Medical regulators shouldn’t let doctors push religion on patients
The General Medical Council has decided not to pursue a case against a GP who was accused of pushing religion on a... Read More »
Why the blind spot when it comes to faith schools?
Politicians need to end their fetishisation of faith schools and face the fact that a religiously divided education... Read More »
Election 2019: pledges that should be in the parties’ manifestos
As the UK's political parties consider their manifestos for the upcoming election, NSS chief executive Stephen Evans... Read More »
The Catholic Church’s snub to the child abuse inquiry speaks volumes
The Holy See's refusal to fully assist the UK's sexual abuse inquiry reveals unchangeable deficiencies within the... Read More »
Time to stop pretending we have a ‘national church’
As affiliation to Anglicanism continues its rapid decline the Church of England's privileges are increasingly unsustainable,... Read More »
Islam, like any other religion, must be fair game for criticism
The disqualification of a GCSE student who criticised halal meat is a reminder of the need to resist censorious offence-taking... Read More »
The ‘minister for faith’ shouldn’t be replaced
After the minister for faith's resignation, Stephen Evans says this unnecessary role enables the government to promote... Read More »
Prayers aren't appropriate in the public realm
As Brighton's new mayor comes under fire for abolishing prayers at council meetings, Stephen Evans argues that Britain's... Read More »
Sexual freedom and secularism have always gone hand in hand
Stephen Evans says religious concerns weren't a good reason to restrict understanding of birth control in Victorian... Read More »
Praying on the vulnerable
A ruling that a nurse was not wrongly dismissed for repeatedly evangelising was unsurprising, says Stephen Evans.... Read More »