Press Release from the Iona Institute Proposed deletion of protection of the home from the Constitution is concerning Tuesday, December 5, 2023 – The Iona Institute needs to study the wording of the new amendments properly before giving a full reaction. We note, however, that the proposed English-language replacement to the section on mothers-in-the-home no...

Assisted suicide should be available on demand to any adult who wants it, the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying has heard. This is the direct equivalent, applied to assisted suicide and euthanasia, of demands from the abortion lobby that a termination of pregnancy be available to women for any reason. The call came from Philip...

A pro-euthanasia activist has helped an Irish man struggling with mental health problems to access assisted suicide in Switzerland without the knowledge of the man’s family, the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying has been told. The activist belongs to Exit International, the ultra-radical ‘right to die’ organisation, the committee heard. On Tuesday, Emer Maguire told...

Patients with dementia should be offered euthanasia or assisted suicide, the Oireachtas Committee on ‘assisted dying’ has been told. The Committee heard from representatives from End of Life Ireland that “assisted dying” should be introduced not only for those nearing death but also for those with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia, who could be years...

Doctors were before the Oireachtas Committee on ‘assisted dying’ last week, representing a group in favour, a group fully against, and a group mainly against. It’s important to note that while this gives the impression that doctors are more or less evenly divided on the matter, easily the biggest representative body in attendance, namely the...

Doctors and disability rights campaigners have presented the grim reality of the Canadian “Medical Assistance In Dying”(MAID) regime to the Oireachtas committee that is considering the introduction of such legislation in Ireland. In Canada, euthanasia was introduced for the terminally ill only, which is the main proposal currently on offer here, but the ground expanded...

In our new briefing note, we examine what a selection of leading voices in the field of sex education want teenagers in our schools to be taught about consent, pornography and gender identity. A great deal of what they want is already in the new Social Personal and Health (SPHE) curriculum for Junior Cycle pupils (12-15 year-olds),...

The Oireachtas committee on ‘assisted dying’ has met three times in the last two weeks. As usual, the hearings offered useful insights into the thinking of both sides of the divide. What follows are some highlights from the meetings. Session One The first session held on Tuesday 3rd October was dedicated to ethics. Dr Thomas...

The Oireachtas Committee on ‘assisted dying’ continues to hear expert testimony on the matter. Last week it heard from a Dutch academic who was once a supporter but has now turned into a critic. He spoke of how insurance companies in his country are already funding the procedure for one provider, which is a chilling...

Some people find the evidence that on average the two-parent family is best for children highly unpalatable, and they will resist it strongly. Melissa S. Kearney, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland in the United States is discovering this at first hand with the publication of her new book, ‘The Two-Parent Privilege’....