The British Government is more likely to protect the rights of hedgehogs than Christians, according to prominent former Tory minister, Ann Widdecombe. In a speech tomorrow to the annual conference of international charity, Aid to the Church in Need, Ms Widdecombe, who was Minister for Prisons in the last Conservative government, is set to accuse...
French school textbooks which promote the idea that a person’s ‘gender’ is the result of upbringing and society rather than biology have been slammed by French politicians. The controversy is similar to one that took place here some years ago when a programme called ‘Exploring Masculinities’ was introduced into Irish schools which said ‘gender is...
Thirty five children and teenagers known to the Health Service Executive (HSE) have died since March of last year, it was revealed yesterday. It was also revealed that were 16 serious incidents involving children or adolescents known to the HSE over the same time period. Of those 35 deaths, most were due to natural causes,...
An Australian Catholic bishop has said that his diocese will cease performing legal marriages if it is ever forced to conduct same-sex unions. Archbishop Barry Hickey (pictured), of the archdiocese of Perth was speaking to parishioners as politicians in the state of Western Australia debate introducing same-sex marriage. Earlier this month, State Premier Mike Rann,...
Two boys should be allowed to remain with their mother because this is their wish, despite the fact that they were wrongfully removed from their father, a Supreme Court ruling has said. The boys, now aged nine years and seven, were taken from New York to Ireland by their mother in 2010, the Irish Times...
Two same-sex couples who are contesting custody over two young girls have put their own wishes ahead of the welfare the children involved, according to a leading UK family judge. Mr Justice Hedley was speaking in the High Court in a case in which a gay man and his lover took the lesbian mother of...
The right of Churches in the US to hire and fire their own ministers, is being challenged the US Supreme Court by President Obama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A number of judges on the Court, including liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, suggested during the hearing, that the stance taken by the Commission could ultimately endanger...
Mexico city, which introduced same-sex marriage in 2009, is now considering offering its citizens short-term marriages lasting as little as two years. Under the plans, couples in Mexico City could end their short term marriages if they no longer felt happy, or if the marriage was not “stable”. Couples would sign marriage contracts, including provisions...
The Irish Government has prepared a 200 page draft report ahead of its appearance before the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). No date has been fixed for the meeting as yet. The Department of Foreign...
Couples who rank money and material goods as very important might be worse off in their relationships than those who aren’t as materialistic, according to a new US study. Researchers surveyed 1,734 married couples across the U.S. about their attitudes toward relationship values and issues such as materialism, compassion, communication and the importance of marriage....
