A NEW paper from The Iona Institute shows that last year a quarter of all weddings that took place in Ireland were broadly ‘New Age’ in character, while Christian ceremonies accounted for not much more than a third of the total. The paper, by columnist Breda O’Brien, says that the Churches must respond to this...
June 2024 Introduction: We have two concerns about the draft curriculum for primary schools that we would briefly like to draw attention to in our submission. One is the treatment of religion and spirituality in the draft and the other is the increase in political content in the draft. We believe the current curriculum...
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...
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 former Master of the Rotunda, Dr Fergal Malone, recently revealed that over 90pc of patients at the hospital opt for abortion once they are told the baby they are expecting has Down Syndrome. A new paper from the Iona Institute says this shows Ireland has now embraced eugenics, a philosophy which distinguishes between those considered...
Response to the ‘Background Paper and Brief for the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE’ Submission from The Iona Institute to the NCCA December 6, 2022 Introduction: We would like to use this submission to draw attention to three particular areas we believe it is absolutely essential to properly consult parents about ahead of...
THE National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has recently published its draft programme for the Junior Certificate Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, which includes Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). We have major concerns about what it proposes regarding pornography, consent and gender identity. Specifically, we ask if the programme means schools will...
Moves are being made to legitimise overseas commercial surrogacy in Ireland. But as this briefing note points out, the practice exploits low-income women and commodifies babies. To download the document, click here. (Originally posted on 18th February 2022)
In many ways, atheism is based on the big bluff that you can have your cake and eat it too. In the latest paper from The Iona Institute, Dr Gerard Casey, former head of the Department of Philosophy at UCD, calls this bluff. The bluff is that you can deny the existence of God, and...
The Oireachtas Committee on Justice has invited submissions on the “Dying with Dignity Bill 2020”, presented by Deputy Gino Kenny. The deadline was midday today. The Bill aims at allowing euthanasia and assisted suicide when a person has an illness from which they are ‘likely to die’. A majority of TDs have already voted to move...
