The View July 25th is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Humane Vitae – meaning “Of Human Life” – the papal encyclical known for its teaching on the regulation of birth. What many fail to appreciate is that it is about so much more than that. For all the controversy it generated at…
The View No longer can Ireland be called a Catholic country. It may sound strange, but that comes as a relief to me. For years, those of us who are Catholic have been struggling against a notion that we are somehow part of a Catholic ‘establishment’, exercising great power and sway over the general…
The View Although the Government still hasn’t announced the date for the referendum to repeal the rights of children before they are born, we now know what it is they are proposing. No longer can anyone say: “Ireland is different, we have a different culture here; Irish politicians wouldn’t vote for a permissive abortion…
Last week the Sunday Times reported that the Government may change the wording of the proposed abortion legislation. The Citizens’ Assembly and the Oireachtas Committee recommended that abortion be allowed where there is a “risk” to the life or health of the mother – including mental health. Now, there are rumours that the Government may…
The View There have been exchanges during the week on Twitter and in the mainstream media in which those in favour of legalising abortion have decried those who are against it for trying to make the point that children with disabilities would be particularly vulnerable if the Eighth Amendment is repealed. Down Syndrome Ireland…
The View On the day the Oireachtas Committee considering the Eighth Amendment recommended to the government to hold a referendum to legalise abortion in this country, a miraculous news story appeared across the water in Britain. Vanellope Hope Wilkins was born a month premature with a condition that had caused doctors to advise her…
Last Thursday afternoon I was grocery shopping with my children in our local Supervalu. Inside the shop, a tall man, who spoke rather loudly with an English accent, was positioned in front of an Amnesty International stand and stopping customers to talk to them. He appeared to be superficially-friendly and was clearly well-used to catching…
The View Marian Finucane interviewed Katie Ascough on her Saturday radio programme last weekend. The discussion focused on Ascough’s recent impeachment as president of the UCD Students’ Union. The central issue in that impeachment was the fact that Ascough withdrew from circulation a booklet for first year students. She did so having been advised by…
Imagine this scenario: Two people are having a conversation. One says to the other: “I’m against racism personally, but I just think that it’s a serious moral question and people should be given the choice to discriminate on grounds of race if they wish. After all, we can trust people.” Could anybody confronted by logic…
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child. I was glad to see that even in the hardened atmosphere of news outlets around the world, the impending arrival of a new baby in the royal household is still portrayed as a ‘good news’ story. But it also got me thinking about what…