MPs inevitably need a tough skin. Criticism is part of the territory and praise comes as a pleasant, albeit rare, surprise. Last week I received a lovely letter from a complete stranger from another constituency in Essex thanking me for the impact that my Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Act 2019 had on him and his family recently.
This piece of legislation which started out as a Private Member’s Bill and 2 years later became one of the most multi-faceted private pieces of legislation, enacted changes that meant the names of the mothers of married couples could be included on marriage certificates. Up to then only the male parents of the newly weds were invited to sign the marriage register, a throw-back to less progressive times when brides were seen as chattels to be given away by their fathers. It often came as an unwelcome surprise when the mother of the bride processed off at the end of the church service to sign the register only to have the pen cruelly snatched away.
This was a double insult at my own wedding when my father got to sign twice as he also presided over the service as the vicar too. Now that has all changed. As a result, at a wedding of his daughter in Bath last month my new fan from Essex was able to include the name of the bride’s mother on the marriage certificate who had sadly passed away recently. A little point but one that certainly brought some additional joy on the day for which I am pleased.
My Act also of course brought in civil partnerships for opposite sex couples from December 31st, 2019, and there were 167 of them on that New Year’s Eve alone and a further 13258 took place in the following two years. The third part of my Act which is outstanding is extending the power to coroners to investigate stillbirths. Given recent scandals involving hospital maternity departments that is needed more than ever and I am battling on to get the Government to make the necessary changes urgently.
It is rare that such legislation is so widely welcomed, and I am proud to have brought some joy as a result of a simple Private Member’s Bill. See you at our regular Shoreham Farmers’ Market street surgery from 10am on Saturday.
