There is no right to be assisted to commit suicide under the Irish Constitution and to argue such a right exists for a small number of people is “radical and unprecedented”, the State has told the High Court. Michael Cush SC, arguing for the State, said that, while suicide has been decriminalised, the State did...
Churches will be allowed to conduct same-sex marriages in the UK it was revealed over the weekend. The move represents a major U-turn on the position set out in a formal Government consultation earlier this year which proposed a blanket ban. It raises the prospect of a major battle between Church and State over the...
Involuntary childlessness may increase the likelihood of early death, according to new research. The Danish study published in the the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at more than 21,000 couples seeking IVF treatment. They found women who were unsuccessful in having a child were four times more likely to die prematurely than women...
Children raised by same-sex couples are 35pc less likely to make normal progress through school according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Demography, is based on data from 1.6 million children in the 2000 U.S. Census, which included 8,632 children who lived in same-sex households. It re-examined research published in 2010...
Guidelines outlining the factors to be considered when deciding whether to prosecute for assisted suicide would be tantamount to providing a “road map” for committing a crime, the Director of Public Prosecution has told the High Court. Lawyers for Claire Loftus, the DPP, said she would be aiding a crime if she granted a request...
There is now widespread anti-Catholic bias in the Irish media, a leading Irish cleric has said. Fr Sean McDonagh, a founding member of the Association of Catholic Priests, said that the manner in which the media in Ireland had dealt with Church-related issues demonstrated that the bias against Catholicism was both “widespread and deep seated”....
Budget 2012 has cut Child Benefit up to €240 a year per child, which amounts to a fall in income of €696 for a family with four children. The Budget, announced yesterday by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, cut monthly payments by between €10 and €20 per child, depending on how many are in the family....
No right to assisted suicide has been found in the European Convention on Human Rights despite claims to the contrary by the legal team of Marie Fleming, an MS sufferer whose right-to-die case is currently before the High Court. Brian Murray SC and Ronan Murphy SC, arguing for Ms Fleming, told the High Court that...
Books which portray ‘traditional’ images of mothers caring for their children or fathers going out to work could be banned if a European Parliament report on gender equality is implemented. An EU report claims that ‘gender stereotyping’ in schools influences the perception of the way boys and girls should behave and damages women’s career opportunities...
Lobby groups may be prevented from the making presentations to the Constitutional Convention if they engage in excessive lobbying of its members, its chairman, Tom Arnold, has warned. The Convention is set to examine a number of controversial issues, including same-sex marriage and amending the clause on the role of women in the home. Groups...
