Jersey should consider dropping marital status on birth forms, says Vice Dean

Under current Jersey law, when couples register the birth of their baby they must make a distinction as to whether or not they are married, with the child being officially registered as legitimate or illegitimate as a result.

Last week it emerged that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, had undertaken a DNA test which revealed that he was the illegitimate child of Sir Winston Churchill’s last private secretary, the late Sir Anthony Montague Browne.

Following the news, Canon Paul Brooks, who acts as Vice Dean together with Canon Geoff Houghton, said that recording whether a couple were married ‘is not the most important thing’ and that Jersey should consider changing its registry practices.

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