No conscience protection for civil registrars, says Ahern
FG's Damien English favours conscience amendment
Ruairí Quinn, the Labour Party spokesperson on education, has said parents should have a choice of schools to which they can send their children. In an article in today’s Irish Times, Mr Quinn said that he agreed with Bishop Leo O’Reilly, the Catholic hierarchy’s education spokesman, that “parents should have a choice, as far as...
The UK Government has lost in the House of Lords over its attempt in the Equality Bill to alter the law on who churches and other faith-based groups can employ in ways the Churches believe will be detrimental to religious freedom. Peers voted 216 to 178 in favour of Lady O’Cathain’s amendment to keep the...
A leading religious freedom campaigning organisation has warned that a Council of Europe resolution promoting homosexual rights poses a serious risk to religious freedom. The Alliance Defence Fund (ADF), a US group which has been involved in dozens of religious freedom cases, has produced an analysis of the Draft Resolution on Discrimination on the Basis...
The HSE took 300 more children into care last year as compared to 2008. A report presented to a meeting of the HSE earlier this month shows there were 5,694 children in care at the end of November 2009, up from 5,396 in January 2009 – a 5.5 per cent increase. According to The Irish...
Religious believers must be allowed to take part in moral debates - Pope
The Oireachtas committee proposing a children’s rights referendum will recommend an amendment that will lower the threshold for State intervention in the family. It will publish its final report at the end of next week. The Committee has also suggested rewriting Article 42, which is headed Education. Many of those involved in promoting a children’s...
Former Lord Chancellor argues for conscience opt out on equality laws
A single parent campaign group has called for the Department of Social and Family Affairs to make a “definite call” on the age at which certain family income supports will cease. Speaking in front of an Oireachtas committee yesterday, Frances Byrne of Open, said that this would reassure lone parents and allow them to be...
