NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      LONDON (CWNews.com) - The British House of Lords on Wednesday voted to block a proposed law passed by the House of Commons that would have lowered the age of consent for homosexual sex from 18 years old to 16.

      The upper House of Lords, which is not elected, cannot veto legislation, but only delay it, although such delays can often disrupt the legislative agenda. Religious leaders and Conservative Party members united in opposition to the measure. "Do we really want to open the floodgates of suffering even further than they are already?" said Britain's chief rabbi, Lord Jakobovits, speaking in the debate about the threat of AIDS to young people.

      After the vote, the government said it was "considering its position," although it may decide to accept the Lords' rejection rather than threaten its legislative timetable by scheduling a Commons' vote to overrule it.