Liberal Reforming Legislation

• Either through Private Member Bills or free votes in government. 


  How were liberalising legislations passed?
• Ruth Ellis


  Who was the last woman to be executed in 1957
• By a free vote, hanging was abolished for 5 years as a trial and this was made permanent in 1969. 


  How did the death penalty change in 1965
• Rather than requiring an unanimity vote, majority is accepted meaning more criminals were convicted of crimes 


  How did Jenkins reform the juries in 1967
• Before, you needed to prove that your significant other committed adultery to divorce (private detectors were used so this was only accessible to the rich) and after 1969, you can divorce if:

  • lived apart for 2 years and both parties agreed to divorce
  • lived apart for 5 years and one partner wanted a divorce

  Divorce reform act 1969
• • increase in number of divorces
  • mid 1970 10 in every 1000 marriages ended in divorce which played a role in granting women more independence

  effect of divorce reform act
• Legalised to battle problems with backstreet abortions due to the high fees for abortions beforehand. Between 100,000-200,000 abortions were done backstreet each year and between 1958-60 82 women died from abortions. Not everyone was in support of this legislation. In 1966, the Society for Protection of the Unborn Child was set up s the feared it would lead to abortion on demand. 


  Abortion 1967 background
• Legal termination of pregnancy within 28 weeks, under medical supervision and consent of 2 doctors. The only justification was 'mental suffering' not the physical condition of the mother. Result; number of abortions increased from 4 per 100 in 1968 to 17.6 in 1975. 


  Abortion Act 1967
• In the 1960s this was a drug prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness which was found to result in deformities in children if it was taken in early pregnancy. So the public supported abortion if the foetus was detected to be affected by this after birth. 


  How did the thalidomide disaster help to support the abortion act
• Homosexuality is legal under these terms:

  • both partners had to consent
  • both partners over the age of 21
  • it had to be in private
  • So it was decriminalised and the party was split on this piece of legislation.

  1967 Sexual Offences Act
• • types of schools in the tripartite system weren't equal in status
  • pupils seen as 11+ failures

  Why was there a need for educational reform
• Every child would have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and sit exams according to their own ability. By 1964, 1 in 10 pupils were educated in comprehensive schools

  Comprehensive schools
• Minister of education who introduced the 10/65 circular to all Local Education Authorities in 1965. After 1966, when the government proposed more money for the new schools that were comprehensive. By 1970, there was 1145 comprehensive schools, catering for 1 in 3 secondary school pupils.


  Tony Crosland
• • Polytechnics replaced Colleges of Technology, apply education to their work and science and they would concentrate on teaching rather than research
  • 9 colleges became full universities
  • New universities founded

  How did labour expand the higher education system
• By 1968, there was 30 polytechnics and 56 universities. With this, came a number of new courses such as town planning and architecture. 


  Courses and schools
• Combining of equal opportunity, modernisation and the 'white heat of technology' by offering places to those who had never attended university or anyone in their family. This university can be either a campus one or an online one. 


  What was the aim of the open university
• By January 1971 there was enough applicants to start teaching pupils s it was very successful as it used radio and TV which means a wider range of people could access it such as stay at home wives. BY 1980 it had 70,000 students and was awarding more degrees than Oxford and Cambridge combined. 


  Open university success