New Zealand’s parliament has voted to legalise same-sex marriage. The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill was passed on Wednesday night by 77 votes to 44. It is the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so. The Australian parliament recently rejected a similar proposal by a two-to-one margin. Parliamentarians were allowed a...
Abortion does not improve the mental health of women experiencing unwanted pregnancies but increases their risk of further problems, according to a new study. A study conducted at the Department of Psychological Medicine of the University of Otago in Christchurch found that abortion had no therapeutic value in reducing the mental health risks. Instead,...
Senator Ronan Mullen (pictured) has questioned the fairness and impartiality of the Constitutional Convention after it heavily backed same-sex marriage at the weekend. Senator Mullen, a member of the Convention described the debate on the issue at the Convention as a “flawed process”. Government figures, including Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, have welcomed the result. However Senator...
Young adults who experience suicidal thoughts or depression as teenagers are significantly more likely to report experiencing troubled relationships later in life, new research suggests. A study published by Child Trends, a US nonpartisan think tank which examines data relating to children and adolescents, showed that depressed or suicidal young adults are more likely to...
A Philadephia doctor who performed late term abortions for over 30 years is on trial for the death of a mother and murdering seven babies. Mainstream media organisations are under fire for not covering the trial of Dr Kermit Gosnell, 72. Dr Gosnell is reported to have killed babies born alive in his clinic...
The Constitutional Convention is set to consider the issue of same-sex marriage this weekend. The Convention’s 100 members, comprised of 33 politicians, 66 ordinary citizens, plus Chairman, Tom Arnold, will hear from opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage. They will then discuss the issue and on Sunday vote as to whether they feel it should...
Ireland is the tenth best country in the world for children, according to a new report from a key UN agency. The report, Child Well-Being in Rich Countries, was produced by Unicef, the UN agency for children. The report measured children’s well-being in 29 countries in the developed world across five measures; material well-being, health...
The consultant charged with the care of Ms Savita Halappanavar has admitted that she did not read “significant” medical notes on the chart. Dr Katherine Astbury told the inquest into Ms Halappanavar’s death that she had not seen a notation on the 31-year-old’s charts that would indicate a deterioration in her condition, the Irish Independent...
The conscience rights of vegetarians and ecologists in the workplace have been recognised in new UK equality guidelines, but not those of family lawyers who believe in the traditional family. Among other things, the guidelines suggest that ecologists could ask to be excused from duties that increase CO2 emissions, such as flying to business meetings....
Irish law must either ban surrogacy or regulate it, a leading child law expert has said. Geoffrey Shannon (pictured), the Government’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection said that the recent High Court decision which allowed an Irish couple to be recognised as the legal parents of two children born to a surrogate mother did not...
