Sex-selective abortion is “unacceptable and illegal” in the UK, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced. Mr Hunt issued new guidelines in order to close a loophole used by prosecutors to avoid bringing charges. The guidance follows an investigation by The Daily Telegraph which uncovered doctors who were willing to terminate pregnancies for women who said...
The government must not deprive Catholic schools of the right to the Church’s message about marriage, Bishop of Down and Connor, Noel Treanor, has warned. According to the Irish Catholic, Bishop Treanor warned that based on experience in other jurisdictions, this freedom is very often denied to Churches once same-sex marriage legislation is introduced. In...
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), a prominent African-American civil-rights organisation in the United States, is seeking to overturn an Arizona law that prohibits abortion on the grounds of the race of the unborn child. According to LifeNews, the NAACP’s lawsuit against the Arizona law – which bans all sex- and...
Mandatory reporting of illegal sexual activity involving minors will not apply to consensual sex between “older teenagers” under the government’s proposed new child protection laws. The Irish Independent reports that the Children First Bill 2014, which could become law by next year, will make it mandatory for certain professions and post-holders to report incidents of...
Pope Francis has expressed support for the UK pro-life group 40 Days for Life, which organises peaceful prayer vigils outside abortion clinics and conducts community outreach campaigns to raise awareness about the pro-life position. According to LifeSiteNews, in a letter sent throught the Vatican Secretariat of State, the Pope said he “greatly appreciates the dedicated...
The Iona Institute has announced that the Rt Revd. Ken Clarke, who retired as the Church of Ireland bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh last year after 13 years in the post, has agreed to become a new patron of The Iona Institute. Bishop Clarke joins Iona’s other patrons: Professor Patricia Casey, Breda O’Brien, Professor...
Catholic schools must be confident in their identity if they are to enrich society, Francis Campbell, former British Ambassador to the Vatican, has told a Belfast conference. Mr Campell, who served as UK Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2011, also warned that Catholic schools and institutions are in danger of losing their distinct identity...
A court in Sudan has sentenced a pregnant woman to exeution by hanging for allegedly converting to Christianity from Islam. Under strict interpretations of Sharia law apostasy is punishable by death. According to the Daily Telegraph, Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, who was born to a Muslim father but brought up as a Christian by her...
Assisted suicide must be opposed because of the pressure it will put on terminally ill people, the Bishop-elect of Elphin, Kevin Doran has said. The announcement that Fr Doran, from Dublin, will be the next Bishop of Elphin, succeeding Christopher Jones, was made yesterday. Fr Doran also reiterated the Church’s stance on marriage. Speaking to...
The number of people living alone in the UK is growing at a rate 10 times that of the general population, according to a new study. The Daily Telegraph reports that the study, commissioned by the insurer Liverpool Victoria, also concludes that young people will spend 50 per cent longer living alone than members of...
