A High Court judge has said he is concerned about the number of cases of young children committing serious offences as a result of exposure to pornography on “smart” phones.
Mr Justice Micheal White made his comments while dealing with a case involving a boy who sexually exploited his two younger cousins, one male and one female, including engaging in anal rape of both. The boy’s lawyer told the Central Criminal Court that his client, now aged 17, had access to porn from a very young age.
The boy, who cannot be identified because he is still a minor, told gardai he became obsessed with sex.
Mr Justice White adjourned the case to later this month for sentencing. He said this was the fourth case he has dealt with himself “where young children have committed the most serious offences…where the start was exposure to pornography on smart phones”.
“It is very serious and a matter of great concern.” he said. He said the offending the court is seeing “goes way beyond consensual sexual experimentation”.
At a curtailed cabinet meeting yesterday, the Government gave its approval of a bill to establish citizens assemblies on gender equality and local government.
The planned full cabinet meeting was delayed due to the Taoiseach having to attend the EU Council meetings in Brussels.
The Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, is to join thousands of pro-life supporters at the annual Rally for Life in Dublin this Saturday, July 6th.
Also taking part will be Carol Nolan TD, who resigned from Sinn Féin in June of last year over its stance on abortion, and Trevor Hayes, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny.
Prior to the rally, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran will celebrate Mass at St Saviour’s Church on Dominic Street in Dublin.
Niamh Uí Bhriain, one of the organisers of the event, said the rally was intended to show that, despite the removal of the right to life of the unborn from the Constitution last year, “no law, no legislation can make it right to take the life of a child”.
The document also stated that a priest could truthfully deny, even under oath, knowing the contents of a confession given to him “because he did not listen to (the penitent) as a man but, precisely, in the name of God.”
The marble statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy, a former Catholic archbishop of Cashel and Emly, was decapitated and the head stolen last week. There have been a series of attacks recently on churches and religious objects.
The marble statue stands just metres from the main entrance to Thurles Cathedral. The head appears to have been knocked off violently spreading fragments of stone around the base.
Gardaí have described the incident as a wanton act of violence. Superintendent Pat Murphy said locals are shocked. “They are horrified that something which has been there for so long has been damaged in such a fashion”.
A record number of pregnancies were terminated in Irish hospitals last year. One was an abortion on the grounds of risk of suicide. The numbers are revealed every year in an annual report to the Minister for Health since the Abortion Act of 2013 which legislated for the X case, but the termination figures include both pregnancies that are induced early because of a threat to the life of the mother – which was permitted under the 8th amendment – and also killing of the unborn child prior to birth.
The latest report showed 32 pregnancies were terminated in 2018. Thirteen involved an emergency where the mother’s life was at immediate risk. Another 18 terminations arose due to a risk to the mother’s life as a result of a physical illness. The total more than doubled the 15 terminations in 2017. There were 26 of these procedures carried out in both 2016 and 2015.
In the case of one of the women the termination was initially turned down and it went to review. The termination was granted by the review committee.
Children should be taught about ‘safer sex’ to help combat the rise of HIV and other STIs.
That’s according to Breda Gahan team leader for health and HIV at the Catholic Third World aid agency, Concern. She was speaking in response to the latest figures from the HSE showing a continued rise in new diagnosis of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Ms Gahan, told the Irish Mirror: “As a nurse, I would go as far as to say that it’s too late to educate kids at secondary school level. Hormones are hopping at that stage. We should be informing kids in primary school in an age appropriate way. I think around the age of 10-12 years”.
She added: “Its alarming and concerning to see the increase of numbers. No sex can be totally safe – there’s always some risk, for example a condom breaking. But there needs to be education about safer sex.”
Ms Gahan said there’s an increase in STIs among young people because of complacency and, because people aren’t dying, there’s less fear. “Young people don’t really care if they get an STI because it’s treatable”. Yet, for those who have contracted HIV, she says, “the stigma has increased both in Ireland and globally.
Earlier this month, writing in the Irish Times, Ms Gahan had also made a call for sexual reproductive health education to be included in primary school curricula for 10 to 12-year-olds, both in Ireland and around the world. She said all young people should be “fully aware of the risks of not protecting themselves and that they take action to stop the spread of HIV and Aids.” She said world leaders and governments must demonstrate how committed they are to tackling the problem by strong leadership and adequate investment to end AIDS by 2030. She positively cited Irish Aid in its new Policy for International Development, A Better World, which she said, “is committed to launching a new initiative around sexual and reproductive health and rights, incorporating within their partnerships for health and HIV and Aids.”
An ambitious three-year project on adult religious education and faith development aims challenging the idea that religious faith is infantile and superstitious. It is being led by a research team at the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education at Dublin City University. Writing in the Irish Times, Dr Bernadette Sweetman of DCU said it is ‘lamentable that the dominant public opinion is that a religious person is somehow less intelligent than a non-religious person; that a person of faith is not “informed and rational”; and that to have a faith is infantile and based on superstition’. The project aims to counter that false narrative. To begin the project, she has invited all adults of faith to participate in an online survey which is open until this Sunday, June 30th.The survey can be accessed at dcu.ie/adultRE.
A new resource providing a brief biblical and pastoral introduction to understanding transgender issues has been launched in Belfast.
‘Transformed’ has been published by the Evangelical Alliance with Northern Irish barrister Peter Lynas its lead author
The guide is geared towards the wider Christian church – particularly parents, children & youth workers, and pastors. It aims to help members of the Church understand those with gender dysphoria and give guidance as to how to help them. It also provides a way of understanding and challenging transgender ideology in politics and public policy.
The launch was addressed by David Martin, the director of Irish Church Missions and the author of ‘Rewriting Gender?’, a book that helps parents who are looking for guidance on how to explain gender issues to their children.
Tim Shiels, the pastor of Omagh Community Church, also spoke of his own personal experiences. In 2012, his father transitioned and Tim shared about journeying as a son and pastor with a family member who experiences gender dysphoria.
The first country to ban anonymous sperm donation has now also made it mandatory for parents to tell their donor conceived children of their origins.
The new Swedish legislation was passed in January this year, well over three decades after the country banned anonymous gamete donation in 1985. Most donor sperm used in Ireland comes from Denmark and is anonymous.
The issue came up during the conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that is taking place in Vienna right now, according to journalist and academic, Frieda Klotz.
Speaking to RTE’s Drivetime, she said a key motivation for making disclosure a norm sprung from taking the rights of the child into account. Sweden had at the time been one of the earliest countries that made it illegal to hit a child and they also took into account the latest research on adoption. Since then, 5000 people have been born through donor conception, 700 of whom are now over 18 and eligible to access their genetic information. However, only 34 have come forward to seek their genetic dads. It is not known whether those others chose not to investigate, or if their parents never told them. Now, the law formally enjoins new parents to do so.
Klotz said most who are seeking their origins are trying to get a better sense of their own identity – something that had been hidden but is now accessible – and they are also seeking medical information and have concerns about inadvertent incest.
Klotz also spoke with Prof Mary Wingfield of the Dublin-based Merrion Fertility Clinic which is one of a group of Irish fertility clinics who asked the Dept of Health to postpone the enactment of Irish legislation banning anonymous gamete donation.
They think an Assisted Human Reproduction bill on donor conception should be introduced before the CFR Act on setting up a donor registry is enacted.
