A recent opinion poll commissioned by The Iona Institute on attitudes in Ireland toward the Catholic Church, Christianity, and religion in general garnered plenty of coverage and comment in Catholic and other religious media. The prestigious American journal, First Things, carried a comment piece on it last week which particularly zeroed in on the finding...
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have warned that the future of Catholic care homes and hospices is in doubt if the assisted suicide legislation currently before parliament is passed because they may be forced to comply with its provisions, thereby totally violating their own ethos. The warning came following the recent passage of...
The number of children that young couples are planning to have has plunged in the last 10 years in the US, according to new research. The decline is particularly evident among young women. This will worsen the coming demographic crisis. A Pew Research Center survey finds that adults aged 20 to 39 now expect to...
The House of Commons has just voted to decriminalise self‑induced abortions up to birth. What this means is that a woman can abort her child at any stage up to birth and not face criminal penalties. This shocking decision is the biggest change in the English law pertaining to this issue since the Abortion Act...
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has raised the alarm about falling fertility rates worldwide, highlighting the many barriers faced by people who want to have children. In a new report, The Real Fertility Crisis, UNFPA argues that declining birth rates are not aways the result of diminished desire for children, but rather a lack...
A new “soft opt-out” organ donation law will take effect from June 17th. Under this legislation, the State will be allowed to remove your organs upon death without your explicit consent, unless you registered a request to opt out. When the law was still being debated, I argued that donation should arise only from an informed...
The harmful effects of divorce on children is something we are extremely reluctant to discuss probably because it is too close to the bone for many people, especially the adults involved. But if it affects children, then we should discuss it or we are only burying away the problem. A major new study from the...
A major new poll commissioned by The Iona Institute reveals public attitudes towards the Catholic Church, Christianity and religion. This is one of the most wide-ranging polls published to date on the matter. It was carried out by Amarach Research. Here are the major findings: People are much more favourably disposed towards Catholic teachings than towards the...
In a previous blog, I analysed the latest marriage data from the CSO. What stands out is the fact that (not counting the Covid years), our marriage rate last year dropped to just 3.8 per thousand adults, the lowest level ever recorded. Let’s take a closer look at what going on. For a start, the...
A new Pew Research Center study offers compelling insights into religious switching worldwide. ‘Religious switching’ includes ceasing to be religious or changing religion. Christianity, particularly in Western and high-income nations, is undergoing significant transformation. The study, spanning 36 countries (excluding Ireland), reveals a notable decline in Christian affiliation, primarily driven by individuals abandoning their childhood...
