US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has accused the nation’s top court of operating “at the behest” of the abortion industry. In his dissenting opinion on the court’s decision to strike down restrictive requirements on abortion clinics seeking to operate in the state of Texas, Justice Thomas accused the court of working to “bend the rules” towards creating a “putative right to abortion”. He added: The Court has simultaneously transformed judicially created rights like the right to abortion into preferred constitutional rights, while disfavoring many of the rights actually enumerated in the Constitution. But our Constitution renounces the notion that some constitutional rights are more equal than others.”

Religious-run schools should have their right to priortise children of faith restricted to those within their catchment area, the Labour Religious-run schools should have their right to priortise children of faith restricted to those within their catchment area, the Labour Party has argued. Ahead of a Bill aimed at amending the Equal Status Act – the legislation ensuring that religious schools have the right to protect their ethos – Labour’s education spokesperson Joan Burton called for cross-party support on the issue ahead of a vote this week. If passed, religious schools would still have a limited right to prioritise children from its faith community, as complete removal of this right raises serious constitutional issues.

A proposed new law which would offer legal recognition to pre-nuptial agreements has been shelved, it has been reported. According to The Sunday Independent, following an analysis of divorce trends in Ireland in relation to the idea of ‘pre-nups’ undertaken by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, the plan to offer legal status to such arrangements has been set aside as likely to raise “legal, public policy” and possibly “constitutional” problems, according to a Department of Justice spokeswoman. Church leaders have warned that encouraging couples to plan for divorce before they wed through the concept of pre-nuptial agreements could harm the institution of marriage.
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Spain’s Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Valencia will not face hate crime charges arising from a sermon he delivered, a prosecutor has ruled. Following the cardinal’s comments that the traditional family faces threats from “the gay empire…radical feminism [and] gender ideology”, multiple complaints were lodged with authorities by gay activists and others alleging his sermon was likely to incite hatred. However, having examined the sermon, a magistrate found no evidence of criminal intent and terminated the investigation.

The Polish government has rejected calls for a liberalising of its abortion laws. Reacting to a report issued by the Council of Europe in which the nation is urged to decriminalise abortion and remove conscience protection for doctors, Poland accused the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights of “overstepping his mandate” and interfering in Poland’s internal affairs in issuing the report. “Polish law in this regard has its sources in the Constitution and is conditioned by a widely shared care of Polish society for the respect for life,” the official response stated.

The Pro-Life Campaign (PLC) has called for an apology from Ruth Coppinger TD following her suggestion on national television that a featured story on a woman who survived a botched abortion was “manufactured” and one the PLC is “milking”. The PLC’s Lorraine McMahon said: “Deputy Coppinger should be encouraging debate, rather than smearing victims who tell their stories. Her comments were reprehensible and she should withdraw them and issue an apology…Ruth Coppinger wouldn’t tolerate similar comments being made about families telling their stories from a pro-choice perspective and rightly so. It is unacceptable for her to rubbish personal stories that don’t suit her agenda.” The PLC pointed out that the story at the heart of the row is well documented in medical records.

US voters strongly disagree with the Obama administration’s insistence that school funding be tied to open toilet and changing facilities access for people who self-identify as transgender, a new poll has revealed. The survey of voters, conducted by Quinnipac in the swing states of Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, found that opposition was, on average, 14% higher than those voicing support, with 55% in Ohio, 54% in Florida and 53% in Pennsylvania. The survey comes as 11 states continue with legal action against the Obama proposals to tie open facilities with school funding. The Quinnipac results have implications for the forthcoming elections in the United States, observers have stated.

The US Catholic Bishops have condemned a ruling in the state of California that forces health plans offered by religious bodies to continue funding abortions. Following the ruling by the Department of Health and Human Services on the issue, arising from an appeal launched by the Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop William E Lori of Baltimore issued a statement in which they said: “It is shocking that HHS has allowed the state of California to force all employers – even churches – to fund and facilitate elective abortions in their health insurance plans…Even those who disagree on the issue of life should be able to respect the conscience rights of those who wish not to be involved in supporting abortion.”