The governor of the US state of Idaho has signed a law which will create conscience rights for health care professionals in specific areas of medical practice. The measure, passed by Idaho Governor Butch Otter ensures that pro-life health care workers can refuse to dispense drugs that could be used to cause abortions or euthanasia....
The Civil Partnership Bill is to be amended to relax the obligations that cohabiting couples would face under the legislation, the Sunday Business Post has reported. Under the Bill as currently written, all couples living together for three years or more (two if they have children) face significant legal liabilities in respect of rights to...
Only a third of teachers want the State to take complete control of primary schools, according to a new poll carried out by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). The poll surveyed 348 teachers in every county, and found that 34 per cent favoured the State taking control of all primary schools, while a further...
The government must withdraw the provisions on cohabiting couples from the Civil Partnership Bill, the Irish Farmers’ Association has demanded. IFA President John Bryan said it “would be a cause of serious concern to the farming community that legal claims for the transfer of a property, a lump sum, maintenance payments or a share in...
Belgium looks set to ban the wearing of veils over the face after a parliamentary committee voted unanimously in favour of the measure yesterday. Belgium has a rising Muslim population and if the proposal goes ahead it will become the first country in Europe to have such a ban. France also considered a ban but...
A combination of ideologically-driven local councils and ‘human rights’ laws is resulting in the persecution of Christians in Britain a new BBC document to be aired on Sunday night will claim. The programme will be presented by Nicky Campbell of Radio 5 Live. He will argue that Labour’s anti-discrimination laws have led to clashes between...
A group of senior Church of England bishops, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, have written an open letter in defence of a Christian nurse who has been ordered by the NHS to stop wearing a cross around her neck. They also complain of growing discrimination against Christians and Christian belief in British...
The Green Party has backed a motion at its annual convention that there should be no obligation on primary school teachers to teach religion. The motion says that “teaching religion should be an optional subject for primary school teacher training and should be multi-faith and multi-denominational, expect where parents want denominational schools.” The motion was...
A new advertising campaign, the first ever of its kind, has been launched by The Iona Institute with the message, ‘Here’s a little science. The practice of religion is good for you’. The campaign will initially centre on Dublin city. It will consist of 110 bus shelter ads throughout the city and will run for...
A UK Government body designed to give religious voices an input into equality legislation has collapsed in acrimony after most of the major churches and faiths left the forum blaming the British Humanist Association and the National Secular Society for the situation. According to a report in the London Times, the Religion and Belief Consultative...
