All around the Western world, people are marrying later or not at all. The average Irish couple is now well into their 30s by the time they tie the knot, and marriage rates in Ireland have plunged since the 1970s. A similar pattern exists in Canada, where a new study from pro-family think tank, Cardus...
The High Court of Justice in London has rejected a legal challenge against the law that allows babies with Down Syndrome or other disabilities to be aborted up to birth. The applicants will take the case onto the Court of Appeal. Twenty-six-year-old Heidi Crowter (pictured), an advocate for people with Down Syndrome like herself, and...
A new law in Queensland, Australia, will force hospitals and hospices to facilitate euthanasia even when it is contrary to their ethos. This is a very dramatic development and a clear example of how the ‘culture of death’, with the backing of the State, is eroding not only the right to life, but the ability...
Anyone who developed a liking for Korean dramas during the lockdowns will be familiar with the term ‘higher-ups’. South Korea is still quite a deferential society, and ‘higher-ups’ are the people who make the key decisions by which we live our lives. There probably was a time when higher-ups were sure-footed individuals who made ideology-free...
Eugenics is generally associated with Nazi Germany, but while the Nazis took the practice to its absolute extreme, eugenics was also carried out in other countries, including ones governed by Social Democrats. Protecting a population against its more ‘defective’ members was once simply seen as the ‘scientific’ and ‘rational’ thing to do. Social democrats like...
The benefits of religion to mental health are well documented and its positive impact during the pandemic has been confirmed by a number of recent studies. Covid-19 has had a profound effect on our lives. Significant moments such as baptisms, first communions, weddings, were postponed due to the restrictions imposed by the government. Many could...
Some good news from the US; a new law in Texas bans abortion from six weeks of pregnancy. This is a so-called ‘heartbeat law’ because it is at six weeks or so that the foetal heart starts developing and beating. The law, which will still allow terminations in case of medical emergencies, was signed in...
Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien, has asked the Catholic Church to consider providing some of its land for the purpose of building new homes and helping to alleviate the housing crisis. But the Catholic Church does lots to help the homeless. A brief trawl through the ìnternet easily establishes this. For example, some of the...
Now that the Taliban are back in power Afghanistan, Christians and other religious minorities can expect to be treated appallingly. But even before the Taliban marched into Kabul again, the country was already a very hostile place for Christians, which is one reason for the tiny number there. Afghanistan has always been among the countries...
By Mark Hamilton As the new school year looms, the expectation of parents is for a return to near normality, including busy workplace demands – and the last thing they want is more hassle. But if it is a good education they seek for their children, then a lot of ‘hassle’ on their part may...
