A High Court judge has ruled that the unborn child has rights beyond the right to life which “must be taken seriously” by the State. Ruling in the deportation case of a Nigerian man with an Irish wife and now infant child, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said the word ‘unborn’ in the Constitution means an “unborn child” and therefore the unborn enjoy “significant” rights and legal position at common law, by statute, and under the Constitution. He said article 42a of the Constitution, inserted after the 2012 Children’s Referendum, means the State must protect “all” children. Justice Humphreys’ ruling was in response to legal arguments on behalf of the Minister for Justice that in considering the Nigerian citizen’s application to remain in Ireland, the only relevant right of his unborn child was a right to life.

A Christian baker in the US state of Colorado who was sued by a same-sex couple after failing to provide a wedding cake is to appeal to the US Supreme Court. Jack Phillips had been ordered by the state’s Civil Rights Commission to provide staff training, updates of cakes he bakes and to offer cakes to same-sex couples in future as a result of the case. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), he is now appealing to the Supreme Court to vindicate his religious freedom rights. “We are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure that government understands that its duty is to protect the people’s freedom to follow their beliefs personally and professionally, not force them to violate those beliefs as the price of earning a living,” ADF lawyer Jeremy Tedesco said.

A draft proposal to reduce the two and a half hours allocated by primary schools each week to the teaching of religion has been described as “another attack on the rights of denominational schools” by  The Iona Institute. Reacting to reports that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) will make such a call this autumn, Dr Tom Finegan of Iona said: “This is another example of the State showing that it has little or no appreciation for the role and place of denominational education in Irish society, or of the importance many parents place on denominational education.” Questioning the implicit belief that “time spent teaching RE is somehow compromising academic standards in our schools”, Dr Finegan pointed to the high educational standards in Northern Ireland primary schools where RE is also taught for several hours per week.

The Democratic Party in the US has officially adopted taxpayer-funded abortion as part of its election platform. During the party convention to select Hillary Clinton as its presidential hopeful, the party pledged to build on its support for ready access to abortion by seeking to overturn the Hyde Amendment, legislation that prohibits direct taxpayer funding for most abortions. However, taxpayer funding for abortion continues to be opposed by 62 percent of Americans. Pro-life advocates point out that the Democrats’ election platform in 2016 is the most pro-abortion in the party’s history.