What is happening to a lot of our young people? The Annual General Meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation last weekend heard that in the last three decades the number of young people presenting at the Mater hospital in Dublin after self-harming has increased fivefold. Addressing the conference, Prof. Matthew Sadlier, a consultant psychiatrist, blamed…
You might imagine that if Ireland ever introduces a law permitting euthanasia, we need to have a referendum first, like we did with divorce, same-sex marriage and abortion. The issue is of such importance that maybe it should be put to the people, but in fact there is no legal obligation to do so. The…
We must wait patiently for a pro-life and pro-family social revolution, writes David Quinn Even if you do not have a believing bone in your body, are totally sceptical of all religious claims and absolutely dismiss the possibility of miracles, it is still the case that something incredible happened over the first Easter period…
We might have passed peak anti-Catholicism, writes David Quinn The bishops played little part in the recent referendums. That was probably wise. They did issue a statement in the closing stages which could be picked up at Masses (if the priest thought to mention it). The statement did not advise people how to vote,…
The Irish will never want to remove ‘mothers’ from the Constitution, writes David Quinn No-one expected such resounding defeats of the two referendums put before the Irish people by the Government, proposals that were backed by every party in the Dail aside from Aontu with its one TD, and Independent Ireland with its three. The…
Nuns at protest raises questions about clashing views of justice, writes David Quinn A big demonstration passed through Dublin on Saturday mainly to protest against what is happening in Gaza, but also on behalf of a whole plethora of minority groups from asylum-seekers, to Travellers, to transsexual people, to those with disabilities. Among those taking…
A court ruling last week in the US state of Alabama has set the cat among the proverbial pigeons by declaring that unborn children are exactly that – children. Therefore, they must be treated with care by IVF clinics and not thoughtlessly destroyed if no longer needed, which is what these clinics routinely do. The…
It is as if the Govt doesn’t really care about marriage, writes David Quinn The referendums on the family and on care are closing in fast. They are to take place on Friday, March 8. There has not been much of a debate so far, not compared with the 2015 referendum on marriage, much less…
In a sense, it was more than John Bruton who was being laid to rest last Saturday following his sad death. It was also the remains of Irish Christian Democracy because John Bruton was a proud Christian Democrat and the last properly Christian Democratic leader of Fine Gael, and our last Christian Democratic Taoiseach. I…
The Church is concerned by a rise in eurosceptics, writes David Quinn For decades after World War II, the politics of Europe was characterised by great stability. Elections were almost always won by one of two political power blocs, either a centre-right Christian Democrat-style party, or a centre-left Social Democrat one. This has broken down.…