Health Minister Simon Harris wants the State to provide free contraception as a way of reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. Evidence from other countries suggests that his plan won’t work and may be another waste of public money that would be better spent elsewhere. If we look at and compare abortion rates with easily...
Yet another study was published recently showing that “children born to unmarried parents are disadvantaged relative to children born to married parents in terms of parental capabilities and family stability”. The study follows the lives of 5,000 children born between 1998 and 2000 in large US cities. It is called the ‘Fragile Families and Child...
By Margaret Hickey At a recent conference in Trinity College titled ‘Working for the Home: Past and Present’, Senator Ivana Bacik bemoaned the fact that the government appears in no hurry to have a referendum on one of the most era defining aspirations of the 1937 Constitution which was that ‘the State recognizes that by...
By David Mullins The lead story in yesterday’s Irish Independent, ‘Church-run hospitals told to ditch holy symbols’ refers to the Report of the Independent Review Group that was commissioned by the Government in July 2017 to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and personal social services. Almost the entirety of the...
A growing number of people in countries like Ireland and the US say they don’t belong to any religion. When filling out a census form or responding to an opinion poll they might tick the box marked ‘none’. But is this the same as saying they have no religion at all? Funnily enough, it doesn’t...
A big review of the way Relationships and Sexuality Education is underway, led by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Yet, an absolutely crucial question that needs to be considered in all this is whether RSE-type programmes even work. What outcomes are they seeking, and are those outcomes being achieved? International data suggests, probably...
The National Maternity Hospital is advertising for consultant obstetricians who, as part of their job description, must perform abortions. This is the first ad to ever appear in this country that has as a job requirement the deliberate ending of a human life. Truly a terrible moral boundary has been crossed. But the ad tells...
A new law will allow all couples, gay and straight, to record themselves on birth certs as the ‘parents’ of their child rather than as the mother and father. Thus, is another giant step taken towards de-gendering parenthood and the family, and without a peep of protest from the opposition parties. The new measure is...
The diagnosis of a life-limiting condition in an unborn baby is always devastating. These hard cases played a big part in last year’s referendum and moved many people to vote to repeal the 8th amendment. However, new studies show that the vast majority of couples who carry these babies to term are glad that they...
By David Mullins During the abortion debate, the Government was happy to leave terms like ‘mental health’ vague and ill-defined. In a debate about a new Bill this week, it insisted on a strict definition. The double standard was striking, to say the least. On Thursday, the government was defeated in its attempts to block...
