The Iona Institute made a submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health earlier this year concerning the General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill 2017. It can be found here.
David Quinn was on RTE’s ‘This Week’ on Sunday to discuss Ireland’s proposed surrogacy law. The proposed law will outlaw commercial surrogacy but permit non-commercial surrogacy for which ‘reasonable expenses’ will be paid. Irish people will still be able to avail of commercial surrogacy abroad. David argued that surrogacy in all forms commodifies children and...
The Iona Institute has just launched a new report showing that a huge marriage gap exists in Northern Ireland (as in the South) between the most advantaged and disadvantaged groups in society. Those in the upper income groups are twice as likely to be married as those in the bottom income groups. This gap is...
The movement toward the provision of genetic based ‘therapies’ with a clear eugenic intent has moved one step closer to becoming a reality in this State. As the Irish Independent reports, the proposal is being introduced under the guise of permitting the sex selection of an embryo in fertility clinics setting, prior to implantation, “where...
Maria Steen, of the Iona Institute, talked to Sarah McInerney on Newstalk Breakfast about Minister Bruton’s plans to forcibly amend the admissions policies of some faith-based schools, namely, removing the so-called ‘baptism barrier’ to Catholic Schools. The item can be found here.
By David Mullins All kinds of restrictions are placed on the kinds of experiments that can be conducted on animals, but the proposed Assisted Human Reproduction Act 2017 does not do the same for human embryos. Surely this would strike any reasonable person as extremely unethical especially when the experiments kill the embryo? The...
By David Mullins The Oireachtas Committee of the Eighth Amendment has published its final Report. While its recommendation to advocate ‘Repeal Simpliciter,’ or the total abolition of the Eighth Amendment is deeply disturbing, it was well flagged. The same cannot be said for some of the other less ‘controversial’ recommendations that have slipped quietly below...
A Private Member’s Bill to permit assisted suicide under certain circumstances is soon to come before the Oireachtas. The experience of Belgium and the Netherlands shows how difficult it is to limit it once it is introduced. Rates have soared in both countries and the grounds have widened. Read more in our latest briefing note.
Our new briefing paper looks at the operation of Britain’s abortion law, including the prevalence and the grounds for abortion. Pro-choice groups in Ireland want us to adopt a UK-style abortion law at a minimum. In the UK, one in every five pregnancies ends in abortion. You can download the briefing note from here.
Rise in numbers reporting ‘no religion’ in Census must be properly interpreted Many of those who don’t belong to a religion continue to believe in God October 12, 2017 – Census figures released today showing a sharp rise in the number of people saying they have ‘no religion’ need to be properly interpreted because many...
