Proposed changes to Ireland’s Employment Equality Act in the area of religious-run institutions are unnecessary and should not be implemented, the Chairman of the Board of the Iona Institute has said. Responding to a proposal made by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the country’s Minister of State for Equality, to amend legislation – specifically section 37.1 of...
The Northern Ireland bakery that would not bake a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan on it is to appeal the ruling of discrimination made against earlier this month. Following a judgement by Belfast County Court that Ashers Baking Company had breached equality legislation by refusing to bake the requested cake, the owners, the McArthur...
Feminist icon and author Germaine Greer has attacked the singer Elton John for registering his gay partner as the ‘mother’ of the couple’s children. During an address at the annual Hay literary festival in England, Greer said the move to list David Furnish as a ‘mother’ served to illustrate how motherhood has been damaged and...
Following the referendum result on Friday, The Iona Institute is calling on both sides in the debate to enter into a dialogue about how to strengthen marriage in Ireland. In a statement today it says: “There are now clearly two very different views in Irish society about the nature of marriage. However, it remains a...
A GROUP of senior lawyers have today issued a major statement outlining seven reasons why the Irish people should vote No in the marriage referendum next week. The lawyers say that the proposed amendment will mean the following: the new Article 41 of the Constitution will be self-contradictory; it will introduce a false understanding of...
The Referendum Commission has confirmed to The Iona Institute that two heterosexual friends of the same sex will be allowed to marry each other under the proposed new law should the marriage referendum be carried on May 22. The question The Iona Institute posed to the Referendum Commission was as follows: ‘Could two heterosexual male...
The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has stated that he’ll be casting a “No” vote in the upcoming marriage referendum, saying that he wanted to clear up any “confusion.” Saying that his vote was one of “personal conviction”, Dr. Martin said that this was not only a religious question, but a change in the...
A Government spokesman has refused to rule out the possibility that State funding for the Church’s marriage counselling service, Accord, will be ended should the same-sex marriage referendum pass on May 22. When approached by The Irish Catholic on the issue, the Government press office refused to offer a reassurance that funding would remain in...
A court in the US state of Kentucky has overturned a finding of discrimination against a T-shirt printer who refused to supply shirts for a gay pride event on the grounds of freedom of conscience. The case against Hands On Originals was originally placed before the Lexington Human Rights Commission, which, in 2014, ruled in favour...
The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected proposed legislation on same-sex marriage for the fourth time. Following a debate on the latest Private Members’ Motion on the issue, which had been tabled by four Sinn Fein members, MLAs voted 49 to 47 against the motion, with three abstentions. On party lines, all Sinn Fein and SDLP...
