A Bill towards allowing abortion in cases of foetal abnormality has been defeated in a Dáil vote, despite the Government’s free vote on the matter. The legislation, proposed by Independent TD Mick Wallace was struck down by 95 votes to 45, with 17 TDs abstaining or absent. Only five Fianna Fail TDs voted in favour with 36 voting against in a free vote.
Two-thirds of voters say they favour the repeal of the Eighth Amendment to allow for abortion in cases of rape and life-limiting abnormalities, according to an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll. When asked if the constitutional protection for the unborn should be set aside to allow for terminations in such circumstances, 67% of respondents agreed that termination should be an option, while 21% opposed the change. Among people resident in Dublin, the number jumped to 75% in favour. There is no difference between men and women on the subject, with 67 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women in favour of repeal. Voters aged 65 and over are much more likely – 39% -to support the anti-abortion position, while farmers are also more likely to support retention of the amendment 35%.
The Methodist Church says it will “revisit” the issue of same-sex marriage after members voiced backing for the church to endorse gay unions. The commitment came after the Methodist annual general meeting in London heard from its Marriage and Relationship Task Group that there is a measure of support for the church conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies. Rev. Graham Carter told the meeting that there is a “clear mandate” to “revisit” the church’s definition of marriage via a ‘re-examination’ of theology. However, the task group also noted that there was concern within the church that voting for same-sex marriage would “damage its prophetic and counter-cultural role by giving into changes in society”.
The Minister for Education Richard Bruton has vowed to “explicitly ban” discrimination on schools’ admissions, signalling a possible end to Catholic schools prioritising students of the faith. Minister Bruton made his comments as he unveiled his new Admissions Bill, the provisions of which are expected to be enacted this September. One new requirement under the Act is that schools must consult with parents in relation to their admissions policies, which must be made public. Along with the issue of possibly ending the right of religious schools to prioritise pupils, the issue of reserving places for relatives of past pupils has been referred to an Oireachtas committee for a final decision.
A judge in the US state of Mississippi has struck down a law which offers protection for those who, through religious belief, object to participating in same-sex marriage ceremonies. The Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act was signed into law in April to allow judges and clerks of deeply held beliefs to opt out of such ceremonies, but after a legal challenge mounted by the American Civil Liberties Union, District Judge Carlton Reeves set the legislation aside one day before it was due to come into effect. Reacting to the judgement, the state’s Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves said: “I hope the state’s attorneys will quickly appeal this decision…to protect the deeply held religious beliefs of all Mississippians.”
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has agreed to afford ministers a free vote on abortion. Just days after insisting on “collective Cabinet responsibility” on the forthcoming Bill on legislating for terminations due to so-called ‘fatal foetal abnormalites’, Mr Kenny said he is prepared to allow Independent ministers their demanded free vote. The move now allows Cabinet members Shane Ross and Finian McGrath, as well as junior minister John Halligan, to vote in favour of the Bill. The rest of the Cabinet will vote against. The row over voting comes despite advice from the Attorney General, Máire Whelan, that the abortion Bill is unconstitutional.
Brothels should be legalised in England and Wales, a parliamentary group has said. The Home Affairs Committee has called for legislative change in the area of prostitution, urging both an end to the criminalising of prostitutes and the relaxing of laws around brothels, in line with similar moves undertaken in New Zealand. However, the move has been criticised by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) which said decriminalising prostitution “empowers” the people who exploit them. The group pointed out that the New Zealand changes had done nothing to stem the flow of trafficked women, a trade which is still “thriving”.
A Christian dating website in the United States must allow for same-sex relationship searches, a judge has ruled. To now, ChristianMingle.com required users to specify if they were a man seeking a woman, or a woman seeking a man. This position was challenged by two gay men who filed a legal challenge in California, where Spark Networks Inc., the owners of ChristianMingle, has its headquarters. The pair argued that the limited search criteria breached discrimination legislation in the state. A judge agreed with that argument and ordered that all sites owned and operated by Sparks broaden their accessibility to include same-sex relationship searches.
