Recent debates are not just about Roman Catholics or the Church of England but how the modern state should face all religions, says Bob Morris.

A Liberal Democrat MP today introduced a private members Bill in the House of Commons seeking to change the rules of succession to the throne, including giving women and Catholics equal rights.

The Prime Minister's office has said that it will consult Britain's churches over the scrapping of the country's blasphemy laws, after the principled need to do so was strengthened by a tabled amendment in the House of Commons.

The Christian think tank Ekklesia has renewed its call for the repeal of the UK's archaic blasphemy laws. An amendment to abolish the offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel has been tabled by Evan Harris MP to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, and the issue is drawing support from people of all faiths and none.

An MP will this week seek to bring an end to Britain's controversial blasphemy laws - as a broad cross-section of believers, humanists and civil rights campaigners continue to argue that they are unnecessary, repressive and outdated.

The heated row over abortion is continuing after a report by the House of Commons Science and Technology committee said there was no scientific justification for lowering the 24-week limit for terminations. But there are also signs of movement on all sides.

The row over Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor's letter to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ‚Ä' which says that his church's adoption agencies will close if an exemption from equalities rules about lesbian and gay adoptees is not granted ‚Ä' showed no sign of dissipating today.