Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain has called for an end to the daily Dáil prayer, which has been said in the chamber for almost 80 years. It is said at the start of Dail proceedings by Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett — and calls on TDs to be inspired and assisted by God in their actions....
A senior UK judge has warned that getting a divorce is easier than getting a driving licence and that high rates of divorce and cohabitation are harming British society. Sir Paul Coleridge, a Family Division judge, suggested people need to get better informed as to the importance of stable relationships for the general good of...
Michael O’Flaherty, who is still formally a Catholic priest and who was heavily involved in the creation of a radical gay rights document is to take over as the head of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. O’Flaherty, who has not been attached to any diocese for some years but has never been formally laicised,...
A leading psychologist has warned that parents are facing increasing violence and abuse from their children who do not get their own way. Dr Aric Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, who addressed the Iona Institute earlier this year, said that the “little emperors” of this “spoilt generation” not only have violent...
There was a big increase in childcare applications from the HSE last year, according to the latest report from the Courts Services. Supervision orders, where a family receives supervision from social workers, rose by 16 per cent, to 731, while care orders, where children are taken into the care of the HSE, rose by 11...
There has been a fall in the number of divorces and separations for the second year running, and they are at their lowest level for nearly a decade, new figures show. It is believed that the recession is behind the drop, as couples are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their houses. Under the constitutional...
New Government proposals to recognise transgender persons do not require applicants to have had a ‘sex change’ operation meaning a person with male sex organs could be officially recognised as a woman. Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton announced proposals to publish legislation for the recognition for people who believe they have been born into...
The EU’s family research body, Family Platform (FP), has set out its research programme for next few years. The agenda is set out under a range of headings; Family Policy, Care, Life Course and Transitions, Doing Family, Migration and Mobility, Inequalities and Insecurities, Media and New Information Technologies. However, in spite of an FP report...
A bill requiring public schools to teach the “historical contributions” of gay and lesbian Americans has been approved by the California legislature. Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, who has not yet indicated whether he will sign it, has only days left to decide whether to sign the bill or not. The bill prohibits any school...
Courts should have done more to protect Christians affected by equality laws, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said. In a significant development, the commission says judges have interpreted laws too narrowly, and set the bar too high for Christians to prove discrimination against them. The commission also thinks employers should do more to...
