Teachers and registrars who disagree with same-sex marriage need more civil liberty protections, a key Parliamentary committee in the UK has said. The Joint Committee on Human Rights of both Houses of Parliament has said that ‘transitional’ safeguards should be introduced for those already employed as registrars. In a report released last week they also...
Fine Gael Oireachtas members opposed to abortion should have the same conscience rights as those who opposed the party’s stance on hare coursing in the 1990s, a TD has said. Brian Walsh, TD for Galway West, has already declared that he will be voting against the Government’s abortion legislation, and called for Taoiseach Enda Kenny...
A Catholic bishop has criticised President Barack Obama for appearing to blame sectarian divisions in the North of Ireland on denominational education. In a speech delivered in Belfast on Monday ahead of the G8 summit, President Obama suggested that separate schools for Catholics and Protestants copperfastened divisions between the two communities. But Bishop Donal McKeown,...
Almost nine out every ten of voters believe Taoiseach Enda Kenny should not impose a party whip on TDs unhappy with his abortion legislation, according to a new opinion poll. The finding, in a survey carried out by Amárach Consulting on behalf of Family and Life, comes amid growing calls for TDs to be allowed...
Fathers play a vital role in holding society together, and should get more recognition, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has said. The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, was speaking alongside other British religious leaders, including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, at an event held by Citizens...
Pregnant women have better health outcomes in Ireland and Northern Ireland, where the laws on abortion are very restrictive compared with women in Britain, where it is freely available, according to a new study. The study, published in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons compared national health data over a...
A new study shows that the US media have covered stories weighted in favour of same-sex marriage five times more than they have covered statements opposing it. The survey, by the Pew Media Centre, measured the coverage of same-sex marriage in the US media from March 18th, 2013 – a week before the US Supreme...
A stand-alone law to deal with teenage girls and children in state care who request abortions is to be introduced by the Government. The Government has ruled out introducing any amendment to its current abortion legislation to acknowledge a distinction between women over the age of 18, who have the right to refuse or consent...
A record number of children in the UK, over three million, are being raised by lone parents, and an estimated one million of these have no meaningful contact with their father, according to a new report by a leading think tank. The report, Fractured Families: Why Stability Matters, published by the Centre for Social Justice,...
Legislation which would oblige the US military to accomodate “actions and speech” reflecting the “conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of members of the armed services is being “strongly opposed” by the Obama Administration. Section 530 of the National Defence Authorisation Act ia an amendment introduced by Republican Representative John Fleming from Louisiana. In a...
