New powers to force through a very permissive abortion law on Northern Ireland involves an expansion of direct rule that rides roughshod over local decision making, according to the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
The Church had previously expressed its total opposition to the imposition of abortion laws from Westminster, and expressed grave concern that the Secretary of State might compel the North’s Health department to implement them.
However, the Right Reverend Dr David Bruce described the new regulations as “radical, and unreasonably sweeping powers”, and said they go much further than had been expected.
“[T]he regulations laid before Parliament today drive a coach and horses through Northern Ireland’s hard won and finely balanced devolved constitutional settlement. These powers not only devalue Northern Ireland’s purposely unique system of negotiated government, they also give the Secretary of State the freedom to interfere directly, and at will, with every single department of devolved government”.
“For instance, the Secretary of State is seeking to be able to unilaterally direct what should happen in Northern Ireland’s schools, taking local power and decision making away from governors, teachers and parents on sensitive issues, therefore undermining the right of schools to embrace a particular ethos,” Dr Bruce said, in a statement.
The Moderator called the intervention ill-considered and irresponsible and said it undermines Northern Ireland’s fragile devolved settlement. He called for the powers to be withdrawn.
Germany’s leading Catholic bishop yesterday criticised a request from the Government to temporarily halt public worship during a “hard lockdown” from Holy Thursday to Easter Monday.
Angela Merkel has since performed a U-turn, following a critical backlash, describing the proposal to close churches and shops over a five-day period as a mistake.
Bishop George Bätzing, president of the German Catholic bishops’ conference, had said the request had taken him by surprise: “Easter is the most important feast for us, services are not an afterthought. At Christmas, we demonstrated how we can celebrate Mass with care. We don’t want to do without that at Easter.”
The bishops said that they would consult internally on how to respond to the announcement.
As Germany attempts to contain a third wave of the coronavirus, Merkel and the state leaders had said that a strict “Easter lockdown” would take place on April 1-5.
The Chancellor and the regional leaders said March 23: “The federal government and the Länder [states] will reach out to the religious communities with the request to hold religious meetings only virtually during this time.”
All of the main Churches in the North have attacked a plan by the UK Government to force the authorities in Northern Ireland to set up an extremely permissive abortion regime.
Westminster legislated for the widespread provision of abortion over a year ago, but the Northern Executive never acted on it.
Now the Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, is set to compel the North’s Health Service to rollout the regime over the heads of the Executive.
In a statement on Friday, The Presbyterian Church in Ireland expressed ‘grave concern’ and said the move would represent a serious undermining of devolved rule.
The Methodist Church in Ireland voiced its concern, saying the move would ‘usurp’ the role of the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Revd John McDowell, said the proposal would heighten the sense of a democratic deficit.
Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the Northern Catholic Bishops said the move is an effort to bypass internationally agreed devolved structures, to foist a law on an unwilling populace, that blatantly undermines the right to life of unborn children.
Single women who want to become mothers will be given IVF as part of a raft of measures to prevent an economic timebomb caused by Scotland’s ageing population. The child’s right to a father and the natural ties are disregarded.
The government’s new strategic plan ‘A Scotland for the Future’ states: “At the moment, NHS assisted conception services are offered to heterosexual and same sex couples who meet certain criteria.
“Increasing access to NHS treatment for the purposes of increasing population could be achieved by widening access criteria to NHS fertility treatment, for example to include single people, or couples who already have a child, or by increasing the number of cycles of IVF to increase success rates.
“Further modelling would need to be undertaken to inform the demand and possible outcome of these changes and insight work to be carried out to understand if that is one of the reasons behind people not having children.”
A Pakistani national is fighting for his life at the European Court of Human Rights after Swiss authorities rejected his request for religious asylum.
The man, known by the initials “M.A.M”, appealed against his deportation based on his conversion from Islam to Christianity – a religion known to face severe persecution in parts of South Asia. Human rights group ADF International has intervened on behalf of the man.
“Nobody should be persecuted for their faith. Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries for Christians with its draconian blasphemy laws and increasing violence towards Christian groups. Converts face not only socio-political marginalization and institutionalized discrimination, but also blasphemy charges, arrest, long prison sentences, and vigilante mob violence. The detention of Christians systematically involves mistreatment and abuse, both physical and psychological. Even when released, Christian converts must go into hiding or flee for their safety as friends and neighbours often turn against them. Such factors must form part of any risk assessment for those, such as M.A.M, who are claiming asylum based on religious grounds,” said Jennifer Lea, legal counsel for ADF International at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
A Co. Cavan priest who has not prevented parishioners from attending Mass in the church has been issued with a €500 fine by gardaí reports The Irish Catholic.
Fr PJ Hughes, Mullahoran parish in Co. Cavan has been warned by authorities in the past that the fact that the doors are open and a small number of parishioners can attend Mass is against Covid-19 regulation. This is despite the fact that some legal experts have insisted that religious gatherings are not illegal.
Gardaí have escalated the matter and fined Fr Hughes €500. The priest previously revealed that a garda had told him: “this is your final warning”.
It is thought that Fr Hughes is determined not pay the fine and is prepared to go to jail if necessary.
He is also adamant that he will continue to celebrate Mass while the church doors remain open, although he does not advertise the fact.
A disabilities advocate has slammed a proposed expansion of Canada’s euthanasia laws as “irresponsible and extremely unethical”.
The country already allows doctors to directly kill or assist the suicide of vulnerable people who are terminally ill.
Bill C-7 removes the requirement for a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseen.
This means persons with disabilities, including those suffering from an incurable mental illness, could access so-called Medical Assistance in Dying.
Heidi Janz, ethics professor at the University of Alberta and chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities’ Ending-of-Life Ethics Committee, called the plans “irresponsible and extremely unethical”.
Having grown up among other children with disabilities, Prof. Janz said: “we all knew that some of us would live longer than others. But we also knew that all of us would live with the best quality of life possible”.
But she confessed that she worries about the effect expanding euthanasia will have “on kids and youth with disabilities”.
Two hundred disability rights campaigners and supporters have spoken out at an online conference ahead of World Down Syndrome Day, organised by the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation (JLF) and government representatives from every global region.
Persons with Down syndrome gathered at the event “Down Syndrome: Let’s talk more…and better!” on 17 March to bring attention to the discriminatory hurdles they face in society.
“Sunday marks World Down Syndrome Day, an important occasion to reiterate that human rights apply to all members of the human family, regardless of their mental or physical condition. Targeting and even eliminating unborn babies with Down syndrome because they are perceived as ‘different’ is nothing short of a contemporary form of eugenics. In accordance with human rights law, the international community must take action to prohibit any discrimination on the basis of disability. People with Down syndrome, whether born or unborn, have an equal right to life,” said Giorgio Mazzoli, UN Legal Officer for ADF International.
The JLF recently brought a case to Europe’s top court to fight for the rights of persons with Down Syndrome to be equally heard in society.
In 2014, the JLF participated in the production of an awareness raising video entitled “Dear Future Mom”. In the video, 18 children and adults with Down Syndrome describe their joys and challenges. They offer encouragement to women preparing for motherhood with babies with Down Syndrome. However, the French Broadcasting Council declared that the 30 second video was not a “message of general interest” and therefore could not be shown in the requested broadcasting slots on TV.
Spain’s Catholic bishops have condemned the legalisation of euthanasia in the country yesterday. Doctors have also attacked the move, which will allow people to avail of the procedure even when they are not dying.
The country’s parliament approved the law 202 to 141, and it will go into effect in three months.
Once the law is applied, anyone over the age of 18 who suffers “a grave and incurable” disease, or “serious, chronic and incapacitating condition” that affects autonomy and that generates “constant and intolerable physical or psychological suffering” can choose to end their life.
“Unfortunately, they’ve tried to find a solution to avoid suffering, by inducing the death of someone who is suffering,” said Bishop Luis Argüello, secretary general of the Spanish bishops’ conference.
The bishop added this is also a time for the Catholic Church to remind Spanish society that “you will not willingly cause the death of person to alleviate suffering, but on the contrary, you will care for, practice tenderness, closeness, mercy, [inspire] encouragement [and] hope for those people who are in the final stretch of their existence, perhaps in moments of suffering that need comfort, care and hope.”
Argüello said this is time for “promoting a culture of life and taking concrete steps promoting a living will or advance declarations that make it possible for Spanish citizens to express their desire to receiving palliative care in a clear and determined way: Their desire not to be subject to the application of this euthanasia law.”
Manuela Garcia Romero, deputy head of the Medical College Organisation (OMC), expressed doubts over implementation of the law. He said: “Doctors don’t want anyone to die – it’s in their DNA”.
The US and countries in Europe have been asked to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria on the tenth anniversary of the start of the war.
The call came from the International charity, Aid to the Church in Need.
Executive President, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern said there is a duty to provide help to the suffering civil population of Syria – and especially to the rapidly dwindling Christian minority.
“In their name I beg you to implement the existing international legal framework, which allows humanitarian exceptions to the embargo.”
Syria is currently under sanction by the international community. There are provisions for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Syria under the sanctions, but according to ACN the mechanism is not working properly. The system makes it extremely difficult to transfer money to Syria and also to deliver humanitarian related goods.
Dr. Heine-Geldren calls on the international community to clarify what is permitted under the sanctions and what is not, and to also facilitate the provision of aid to the war-torn Middle Eastern country. In addition he calls for a clearer and easier permitting system for relevant NGOs. Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, Aid to the Church in Need has given almost €42 million in aid to help more than 900 humanitarian and pastoral programmes run by the Church in Syria.
