In March of last year, emails between senior officials in several Government departments discussing the preparations necessary for a surge in the number of people arriving in Ireland who would need accommodation, were released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. The expected newcomers under discussion in that instance were Ukrainian people displaced by the war,…
Earlier this month, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that 8,500 women had availed of abortion services in Ireland in 2022. He sounded pretty pleased about the numbers, even though, if he is correct, it would represent an enormous jump in the number of babies being killed by abortion. In fact, it would represent a…
The View Thousands of families across the country are frantic with worry as the end of March approaches and the eviction ban is lifted. Losing your home, or knowing that you may have to leave rental accommodation despite having nowhere to go must be a genuinely terrifying feeling. In this climate, with acute rental shortages and…
For many people, the Covid-19 lockdowns and the seemingly never-ending restrictions which were imposed on the public, have faded into memory. The Government, seemingly eager to avoid examining any mistakes made, have been foot-dragging on the establishment of an inquiry into its pandemic response, even though the period saw measures enforced which were unprecedented in…
Last June, in a boost to the pro-life movement worldwide, Roe v Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court. As delighted right-to-life activists celebrated, much of the media commentary in Ireland expressed dismay and warned that women would suffer if abortion was made illegal. Those reports ignored the reality on the ground in the United…
In December, a group of doctors, nurses and midwives wrote an open letter to Minister Stephen Donnelly ‘strongly urging’ him to keep the 3-day waiting period before a woman undergoes an abortion. It was a significant statement for several reasons. Firstly, it was timely, in that the Government is supposed to be conducting a review of the abortion…
The View At the end of November, Pope Francis suggested a two-minute daily practice of examining one’s conscience. This catechesis, delivered at his Wednesday general audience, is part of a series that began on September 7, focusing on Ignatian discernment. The Wednesday audience is often a vehicle for essential themes for Pope Francis, just like…
The View It’s become a recurring theme, as inevitable now as the manufactured row about the Angelus on the radio or a Crucifix being displayed in a hospital. Every year, along with the resurrection of the dreary fuss about Christmas songs, we are subjected to an annual dose of whinging about ditching the word Christmas because…
The View A shift in the right direction is taking place on an international level when it comes to transgenderism and children. In Britain, and in states like Florida in the US, experts and policymakers are now putting the protection of children first – and reversing the trend to provide children with so-called ‘gender-affirming care’; a treatment…
The View This week, the Life Institute, of which I am a director, will launch its annual billboard campaign to shine a light on the appalling outcomes of Ireland’s abortion law. As the years slip by, what we know for certain is that the death toll from legalised abortion gets higher and higher. In just over three…