Editing Ann Widdecombe (section)

===Social issues===
As an MP, Widdecombe expressed socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion; it was understood during her time in frontline politics that she would not become [[Secretary of State for Health|Health Secretary]] as long as this involved responsibility for abortions. Although a committed Christian, she characterised the issue as one of life and death on which her view had been the same when she was agnostic<ref name="BBC-1999">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/280692.stm|title=Ann Widdecombe answers your questions|date=16 February 1999|work=BBC News|access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref> and was a member of the [[Society for the Protection of Unborn Children]]<!-- source says "society for the protection of the unborn child", but most likely refers to SPUC --> while studying at Oxford.<ref name="Roth">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/mar/20/profiles.parliament16|title=Ann Widdecombe|last1=Roth|first1=Andrew|date=20 March 2001|work=The Guardian|access-date=31 August 2018}}</ref> During Parliament, Widdecombe was a member of the Pro-Life All Party Parliamentary Group, which met with SPUC over concerns the organisation's more strident approach to abortion policy could alienate Protestant and atheist supporters.<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC News {{!}} UK Politics {{!}} MPs enter pro-life group row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/398033.stm |work=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
She converted from the [[Church of England]] (CoE) to the Roman Catholic Church following the CoE decision  [[Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion|to ordain women as priests]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/112152.stm|title=Widdecombe rejects abortion role|date=13 June 1998|work=BBC News|access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref>

She is an opponent of [[Euthanasia in the United Kingdom|assisted dying]] in any form, saying that any such legislation would fail to "protect the mentally ill, disabled and the frail elderly". She further commented: "You cannot get to my age without having seen loved ones suffer [...] or having seen dear friends die in pain. And, yes, I too have thought 'We wouldn't do this to an animal'. But that emotional indignation has also to be extended to those whom any euthanasia law would threaten."<ref>{{cite news|date=30 January 2024|title=Widdecombe: 'Rantzen's campaign for assisted suicide must not prevail'|newspaper=The Christian Institute|url=https://www.christian.org.uk/news/widdecombe-rantzens-campaign-for-assisted-suicide-must-not-prevail/|access-date=27 March 2024}}</ref>

==== LGBT rights ====
Although not an MP at the time, Widdecombe did voice support for the [[Sexual Offences Act 1967|partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967]] in England and Wales.<ref name="BBC-1999" /> After that, Widdecombe consistently opposed further reforms while in Parliament. Out of the 17 parliamentary votes between 1998 and 2008 considered by the [[Public Whip]] website to concern equal rights for homosexuals, Widdecombe took the opposing position in 15 cases, not being present at the other two votes.<ref>[http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1701&dmp=826 "Ann Widdecombe compared to 'Homosexuality&nbsp;– Equal rights'"], [[Public Whip]]. Retrieved on 24 June 2009.</ref> In 1999, Widdecombe stated that "I do not think that [homosexuality] can be promoted as an equally valid lifestyle to [heterosexual] marriage, but I would say the same about irregular heterosexual arrangements."<ref name="BBC-1999" />

She has consistently argued against an equal [[age of consent]] for same-sex relationships, voting against a [[Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994|1994 act]] (which would have [[Age-of-consent reform in the United Kingdom|reduced the age of consent]] for some male-male sexual activity from 21 to 18), and in 1998 (arguing against a further reduction from 18 to 16, which later occurred [[Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000|in 2000]]).<ref name="Roth2">{{cite journal|last1=Roth|first1=Andrew|title=Ann (Noreen) WIDDECOMBE|url=http://internetserver.bishopsgate.org.uk/files/Parliamentary%20Profiles%20Archive/S-Z/WIDDECOMBE,%20Anne/WIDDECOMBE,%20Anne.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://internetserver.bishopsgate.org.uk/files/Parliamentary%20Profiles%20Archive/S-Z/WIDDECOMBE,%20Anne/WIDDECOMBE,%20Anne.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|journal=Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd|page=4|access-date=7 September 2018|author-link1=Andrew Roth}}</ref> On the latter act, she wrote in ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'' that "one of the sundry horrors for which this Government is likely to be remembered will be that it gave its [[wikt:imprimatur|imprimatur]] to sodomy at 16",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abrams |first1=Fran |title=Tory hits out at gays and lone parents |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/tory-hits-out-at-gays-and-lone-parents-1163616.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/tory-hits-out-at-gays-and-lone-parents-1163616.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=19 October 2020 |work=The Independent |date=8 June 1998}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She later said in 2000: "I do not believe that issues of equality should override the imperatives of protecting the young."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2000/feb/11/uk.politicalnews1|title=Commons approves bill to lower gay age of consent|date=11 February 2000|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 June 2015|location=London}}</ref> In 2003, Widdecombe opposed the repeal of [[Section 28]] of the [[Local Government Act 1988]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watt |first1=Nicholas |title=Tory split in vote to scrap section 28 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/mar/11/conservatives.uk |work=The Guardian |date=11 March 2003}}</ref> In 2012, Widdecombe voiced support in the ''[[Daily Express]]'' for the practise of [[conversion therapy]], which claims to change the orientation of homosexuals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/02/anne-widdecome-defends-gay-conversion-therapy_n_1249697.html|title=Ann Widdecombe Defends Gay Conversion Therapy|last1=Simons|first1=Ned|date=2 February 2012|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref>

Widdecombe has also expressed her opposition to [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|same-sex marriage]], introduced by David Cameron's government in 2014, arguing that "the state must have a preferred model" which is "a union that is generally open to procreation".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jun/06/ann-widdecombe-david-cameron-listen-people|title=Ann Widdecombe: 'I wish David Cameron would listen to people'|last=Moss|first=Stephen|date=6 June 2013|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 February 2014|location=London}}</ref> She also opposes [[gender self-identification]] for [[transgender]] people.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duffy |first1=Nick |title=Ann Widdecombe lashes out at transgender 'lunacy' |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/06/06/ann-widdecombe-lashes-out-at-transgender-lunacy-in-express-column/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=[[PinkNews]] |date=6 June 2018}}</ref> In 2020, she expressed her opposition to same-sex dancing on ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'', saying: "I don't think it is what viewers of ''Strictly'', especially families, are looking for. But that's up to the audience and the programme."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Milton |first1=Josh |title=Ann Widdecombe says 'families' don't want to watch a same-sex couple dance on Strictly Come Dancing and we are so, so tired |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/10/18/ann-widdecombe-strictly-come-dancing-nicola-adams-katya-jones-sunday-times/ |access-date=19 October 2020 |work=PinkNews |date=18 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tucker |first1=Grant |title=Strictly Come Dancing breaks step with first same‑sex pair |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/strictly-come-dancing-breaks-step-with-first-same-sex-pair-wn6nzb78t |access-date=19 October 2020 |work=The Times |date=18 October 2020}}</ref>