Catholic schools in Ireland are undergoing the same tremendous changes as Irish society itself. They are becoming more secular and less Catholic as the same happens to Ireland. Only a minority of teachers are practising Catholic and pupils and their parents rarely go to Mass. They are struggling to maintain a truly Catholic ethos. In...
As predicted, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying has recommended the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Ireland. It claims they will be allowed under only strict conditions and with proper safeguards, but when you read the actual report, some of the conditions and safeguards seem neither strict nor proper. The main recommendation...
An Oireachtas committee has recommended euthanasia for those judged to be within six to 12 months of death. If we go down this path, we can fully expect there to be pressure to allow it on far more expansive grounds. We know this because pro-euthanasia advocates who appeared before the committee were quite clear on...
The Danish parliament has a Council of Ethics that sometimes reports to it on ethical issues. Recently it reported on euthanasia. Surprisingly perhaps – given Denmark’s reputation as a hyper-modern society – the Council recently voted overwhelmingly against recommending euthanasia or assisted suicide in any way, shape or form. Members of the Council of Ethics...
Dr Suzanne Crowe, President of the Irish Medical Council (IMC), appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying on Tuesday and defended their extremely controversial decision to remove the prohibition on doctors deliberately ending a patient’s life from the Council’s ethical code. She denied the charge that the move helps pave the way for euthanasia...
Anti-Christian crimes in Europe are increasing, according to a recent report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC). For example, it says that arson attacks on churches increased by 75pc in 2022 compared with 2021. In 2022, OIDAC recorded 749 anti-Christian hate crimes across 30 European countries. Notably, there were...
You have not read the headline on this piece incorrectly. In a huge and almost unnoticed change to the code of conduct that governs doctors in Ireland, new ethical guidelines from the Irish Medical Council no longer include a prohibition against the deliberate killing of a patient. The prohibition on doctors deliberately killing patients is old-age. What has taken...
A new report called ‘Faith and Wellness’ confirms that religious people are more positive in their mentality, have more social support and are more involved in their communities. “An estimated 160 million more adults have positive experiences than would be the case if those adults were not religious.”, says the report, which is based on...
Palliative care doctors in Ireland and the UK were before the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying last week and very firmly and eloquently explained why they are against euthanasia. It is extremely noteworthy that the group of doctors who are the most dedicated by reason of their branch of medicine to those nearing the end...
Family breakdown is one of the chief reasons why many people in Britain remain in poverty and cannot climb up the social ladder, according to a major new report called “Two nations”, published by the Centre for Social Justice. The essential argument is that social disadvantage contributes to family breakdown, and in turn makes it...
