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Now Church of England won't say what a 'woman' is either

Leading bishop says it is no longer a "self-evident" term

Published: July 12, 2022 11:57am

Updated: July 12, 2022 1:32pm

The Church of England has become the latest institution to decline to define "woman" amid a growing push from the transgender community and others that believe a woman is any individual who defines themselves as such.

Speaking at the General Synod, which is the church's general assembly, Senior Bishop Rt Rev Robert Innes said that, while the term used to be "self-evident," recent cultural developments have made it such that "additional care" is now needed in attempting to define what a woman is.

"There is no official definition, which reflects the fact that until fairly recently definitions of this kind were thought to be self-evident, as reflected in the marriage liturgy," Innes said, according to GB News. But it no longer is so straightforward.

Innes's remarks came after a layperson asked: "What is the Church of England's definition of a woman?"

In a sign of how divisive the issue has become, GB News personality Calvin Robinson said that defining the term should not be a difficult matter. "The definition of 'woman' is not a complex moral problem. It is a scientific and biblical truth. How can you trust someone who cannot speak the truth about such basic facts?"

The Church of England, whose supreme governor is Queen Elizabeth II, joins a growing list of institutions that have declined to define "woman," including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Justice in the United States.

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