The so-called Safe Areas Bill will have its second reading in Parliament today. (Written on 15 February) It’s a brazen attack on freedom of speech and the right to protest, made more offensive by the fact that some of the MPs who support it cut their political teeth exercising that same right. The Bill, sponsored Read more
Asked what drives his values, when pressed the National Party’s new leader, Christopher Luxon (pictured) identifies the Christian religion. The apparent media anxiety over Luxon’s Christianity is incoherent; his four immediate predecessors Judith Collins, Todd Muller, Simon Bridges and Bill English all professed a form of Christian faith. Then adding to the incoherence is that Read more
Like most of his fellow Italians, Mattia Nanetti, 25, from the northern city of Bologna, grew up with the teachings and sacraments of the Catholic Church in parochial school. Even his scouting group was Catholic. But in September 2019 he decided the time had come to leave the church behind. He filled out a form Read more
Observers say the legally required wait time for women in the Republic of Ireland to further consider abortion plans after their initial consultation is resulting in fewer abortions being carried out. Irish law has a required three-day wait time before an initial abortion consultation and the abortion procedure. For pro-life advocates, this provision is significant. Read more
When does life begin? Those four words are regularly posed in the current abortion debate, so let’s scan the lines in pregnancy that have been drawn by experts — religious and secular — in the past. Pre-scientific cultures spoke of “quickening,” typically between 16 and 18 weeks, when the mother first feels the unborn child Read more
Changes to New Zealand legislation in March 2020 has resulted in a three per cent rise in abortions. After a decade of falling numbers, the Ministry of Health says 13,246 abortions were performed last year. This number compared to 12,857 in 2019 and 16,630 in 2010. The mean age of those having an abortion last Read more
A US politician has called Pope Francis a communist a day after he met with Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi at the Vatican. Pelosi has also drawn criticism from conservative Catholics in the United States over her support for abortion rights. Read more
With the introduction of medical abortion and fewer restrictions on who can provide them, it is now simpler and easier for New Zealanders to receive an abortion. On Saturday, Labour’s Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced the medications can now be prescribed by primary care practitioners, including GPs, midwives, and nurse practitioners. She Read more
Dominic Perrottet (38), NSW’s premier, is a Catholic. Having a Christian faith is part of who he is and inspires him to make a difference wherever he goes, he says. Described as being a social and economic conservative, Perrottet won a NSW Liberal party room ballot on Tuesday morning. He replaces Gladys Berejiklian and will Read more
You may or may not have heard about a High Court case from last week – New Zealand Health Professionals’ Alliance v Attorney-General. It’s about the right of health practitioners to refuse to provide legal, proper healthcare because they object to it on moral grounds. This is so-called “conscientious objection”. But really, this case is Read more