The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union has finally agreed a statement condemning violence specifically against Christians. The statement does not specify the countries in which this violence is taking place, however. The statement, intended as a reaction to to a recent spate of violence against Christians in Egypt and Iraq, also refers to...
A university in the US which had defined religious discrimination purely as the oppression of non-Christians by Christians has removed this definition from its website after more than two dozen Christian students protested. The University of California at Davis had defined religious discrimination in the United States as “institutionalised oppressions toward those who are not...
A reduction in the number of sexual partners per person has helped drive a 50 percent decline in new cases of HIV in Zimbabwe from 1997 to 2007, said an international study published this week in the United States. The analysis of social factors that helped to halve what was once one of the worst...
Minors will not after all be able to buy the new Morning-After-Pill (MAP) over the counter because of new guidelines produced by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI). A new form of ‘emergency birth control’ called Norlevo was authorised earlier this week by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB). The drug does not have any lower...
Couples in their 20s are the group most at risk from divorce, new figures from the UK show. It is being suggested that celebrity culture is fueling a rise in so-called “starter marriages” that end within five years. The overall number of divorces in England and Wales in 2009 fell to its lowest level since...
The UK’s coalition government is considering introducing legislation to allow for same-sex marriage in churches and other places of worship as well as in registry offices. In the meantime, it will allow civil partnerships ceremonies between same-sex couples to take place in churches if the particular church agrees. The Government is to conduct a consultation...
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB)has decided to allow pharmacists to sell the Morning-After-Pill without prescription and to any age group. According to reports, the product, NorLevo, can be given to minors as well as adults, at the discretion of pharmacists. The Irish Medicines Board approved NorLevo, one of two brands of emergency contraceptive licensed in...
Most Americans are in favour of allowing prayer in public schools, according to a new poll. The issue of prayer in schools is a hot topic in the US, with secular groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union claiming that the American Constitution forbids prayer in public schools. However, according to a new Rasmussen...
Fine Gael have pledged to remove the marriage penalty from the Social Welfare code which is up to €66 per week. In their manifesto published today, the party says that the tax and social welfare system “should not discourage people from getting married”. However, the manifesto points out: “Currently, our social welfare system does. Two...
Australian children born from sperm or egg donation should have the right to track their biological parents with the help of a national register, according to a report tabled in the Senate this week. The lack of legislation on donor conception in any of the Australian territories was described as “quite appalling” by Labour Northern...
