The Vatican has just released a new document on the topic of human dignity. Among other issues, it addresses the ethical problems of surrogacy—including the commodification of babies and the financial exploitation of low-income women who are contracted to be surrogates. Ireland is in the process of adopting one of the most permissive laws in...
Catholic schools in Ireland are undergoing the same tremendous changes as Irish society itself. They are becoming more secular and less Catholic as the same happens to Ireland. Only a minority of teachers are practising Catholic and pupils and their parents rarely go to Mass. They are struggling to maintain a truly Catholic ethos. In...
As predicted, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying has recommended the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Ireland. It claims they will be allowed under only strict conditions and with proper safeguards, but when you read the actual report, some of the conditions and safeguards seem neither strict nor proper. The main recommendation...
Northern Ireland remains the most religious part of Britain or Ireland, according to new research published last month. The percentage of people who attend church every week in Northern Ireland – Protestant or Catholic – is greater than the number who attend Irish League football match over an entire year. The report from Evangelical Alliance...
THE results of the two referendums are the best possible present ahead of Mother’s Day tomorrow. The Government asked voters to remove the word ‘mother’ from the Constitution and they answered with a resounding No. They also rejected by a huge margin the attempt to foist the extremely nebulous term “durable relationships” on the Constitution....
An Oireachtas committee has recommended euthanasia for those judged to be within six to 12 months of death. If we go down this path, we can fully expect there to be pressure to allow it on far more expansive grounds. We know this because pro-euthanasia advocates who appeared before the committee were quite clear on...
David Quinn was on the Hard Shoulder explaining why he is voting No in the two referendums on March 8. He said the family referendums seeks to insert the very ambiguous term “durable relationships” into the Constitution, while the one on carers seek to delete the current reference to the home, to mothers and the...
More than two-thirds of mothers (69pc) with children under the age of 18 would prefer to stay at home with their children rather than go out to work if they could afford it, according to a new Amarach Research opinion poll commissioned by The Iona Institute. In addition, 76pc of mothers said that women who...
The Danish parliament has a Council of Ethics that sometimes reports to it on ethical issues. Recently it reported on euthanasia. Surprisingly perhaps – given Denmark’s reputation as a hyper-modern society – the Council recently voted overwhelmingly against recommending euthanasia or assisted suicide in any way, shape or form. Members of the Council of Ethics...
If all mothers are out working, which is what the Government seems to want, and most young children are in daycare, shouldn’t we closely examine the benefits of this aim from the point of view of mothers, children and society? The question is particularly relevant in light of the carers’ referendum on March 8th. Many...
