Developmental biologist Prof Lewis Wolpert, writing recently in the Daily Telegraph, describes how, from conception, genes affect our gender roles. It’s not simply nurture at work. Wolpert’s principle examples are well worth a read. But the arguments around the issue are even more so. Today, solid, objective research is not enough to merit publication. Good...
Study after study shows that children benefit when their parents are married. Ah, say the sceptics, is that because they’re married, or it is because married couples usually have more money and better parenting skills? Share those same benefits with other family forms and all will be well. Sweden provides a sort of controlled experiment...
The entry of women into the workplace in ever-increasing numbers is usually hailed as a great progressive victory. And indeed, the lowering of the barriers that prevent women from choosing to work is a very good thing. But the fact that there has been no corresponding move of men towards spending more time childrearing has...
Writing about the legalisation around the world of “assisted suicide” in 2012, palliative care oncologist José Pereira explained that “laws and safeguards were put in place to prevent abuse and misuse of these practices. Prevention measures have included…explicit consent by the person requesting euthanasia, mandatory reporting of all cases, administration only by physicians (with the...
Breda O’Brien, teacher, Irish Times columnist and Iona Institute patron, recently debated surrogacy with Deirdre Madden of UCC on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke programme. She talked about the recent surrogacy scandals, and emphasised the fact that similar things can and have happened regardless of whether surrogacy is commercial or altruistic. Madden argued that banning surrogacy in...
Trying to facilitiate human flourishing and happiness should be among the first goals of any policymaker. In all the endless discussions we have about economic growth, social capital, labour productivity, and debt levels, what we often don’t talk about is the reason we pursue all these policies. The answer is (or should be) very simple...
Several terrible surrogacy scandals have come to light recently. The most high profile involved Gammy, a Down’s syndrome baby born to a Thai surrogate mother. The Australian commissioning couple did not want to raise Gammy, only his healthy twin. A very similar case has just come to light in Britain. And now we learn that...
The Rotherham child sex abuse scandal that has rocked Britain is the result of half a century of Multiculturalism, moral-relativism and national self-loathing by those driven to guide, protect and improve society. “Rotherham,” dear reader, will for a long time to come be synonymous with the utter, immoral collapse of Radical social engineering. Well, one...
The Rotherham child sex abuse scandal that has rocked Britain is the result of half a century of Multiculturalism, moral-relativism and national self-loathing by those driven to guide, protect and improve society. “Rotherham,” dear reader, will for a long time to come be synonymous with the utter, immoral collapse of Radical social engineering. Well, one...
Dawkins was at it again recently. He claimed that Ireland is civilised in all but one aspect: its abortion laws. He then added that it’s “moral” to abort a baby with Down’s Syndrome. As Dawkins has greyed, his pronouncements have gotten more off the wall. And I thought wisdom increased with age… Note that he...
