The Iona Blog

Exploring the link between family breakdown and anti-social behaviour

By Dr Angelo Bottone

When we see reports about anti-social behaviour and criminality – for example, the ramming of a garda car in Dublin this week – no-one ever explores whether there might be a link with family breakdown. It would be surprising if this was not sometimes the case. Plenty of studies overseas have established such a link,...

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Why Governments should pay more attention to family stability

By Dr Angelo Bottone

Almost half of children born in the UK in 2000 did not grow up with both of their biological parents throughout their childhood, according to a new report by the Children’s Commissioner, Rachel de Souza. This is because so many are born to lone parents, or else see their parents (married or cohabiting) separate.  This...

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Religion linked to greater sexual happiness says new study

By Patrick Fitzgerald

One of the biggest articles of faith of modern, liberal societies is that the sexual freedoms now available to us have made people happier and more fulfilled. An accompanying belief is that we needed to slay the ‘dragon’ of religious sexual repression in order to win our freedoms. But now a major new study has...

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Some unexpected support after latest attack on Iona Institute

A new report from an organisation in America attacks the Iona Institute in a highly defamatory manner, but the attack is so bad that it has been recognised as such by fair-minded liberals who have criticised the report in public and defended us. The document was published by a Washington DC-based outfit called the ‘Global Project...

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Political ideology as a substitute for religion

By Dr Angelo Bottone

Politics has become a substitute for religion and ‘social justice warriors’ are today’s Puritans, a new BBC documentary claims. Helen Lewis, who was raised Catholic but is now an atheist, has produced a new documentary for BBC Radio 4 in which she explores the thesis that contemporary social justice movements have the same characteristics that...

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Liberals still ignore the fact that family structure matters

In England last year, a majority of births (51.3pc) took place outside marriage. In Ireland, the figure is now above 40pc. Some might say that this is a purely private matter, but it’s not true, because family structure is important and the evidence remains that children tend to fare best when raised by their own...

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Archie Battersbee case was not black or white

By Dr Angelo Bottone

The recent case of Archie Battersbee, who had his life support machine turned off after a long legal battle and against the wishes of his parents, raises questions on whether and when it is morally permissible to do this, and who should decide. The 12-year-old boy suffered brain injury while at home in London, in...

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Over 10,000 Canadians died by euthanasia last year

By Dr Angelo Bottone

Over 10,000 Canadians died by euthanasia in 2021, 32pc more than in the previous year, according to a new official report. It shows once more that when you open the door to euthanasia and assisted suicide, the numbers availing of them rise rapidly and social norms change. It’s worth look at the report in some...

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Our healthcare system arose from a Christian worldview

By David Quinn

During the recent row over the planned relocation of the National Maternity Hospital, the very strong impression was given that Ireland would be far better off if the Catholic Church had no involvement in the country’s hospitals at all. A medical Catholic ethos was treated as something very bad and undesirable. In fact, no organisation...

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The radical approach to sex education backed by the HSE

By Dr Angelo Bottone

“Pornography to be studied in class”, said the front page of the Irish Independent last week, which is alarming at first glance, but much depends on how this is done because some HSE-backed researchers believe porn can be both ‘ethical’ and ‘positive’. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is currently redesigning the Relationships...

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