Send this news story to a friend
Irish Government Minister Supports Pregnancy Agencies That Have “Religious... : 11th Mar 10
Pregnancy agencies with particular religious views should not have to send pregnant women to abortion centres when there are other organisations “not bound by the same values” that are willing to do so, an Irish Government Minister has said.
Minister of State Dr Martin Mansergh also stated that adoption agencies should not have to refer children for adoption to homosexual couples when this conflicted with their religious values. Dr Mansergh was addressing a congregation at Trinity College Chapel in Dublin.
He is one of a series of Lenten speakers and was talking about faith, politics and issues of conscience. He argued that although organised religion and Churches were important repositories of moral values and teaching, they had “no monopoly in setting or teaching ethical standards”. Society “has to be capable of devising and living by ethical standards for modern circumstances [which] exist independently of religion. Where there is a disagreement between the values of the Church and society, as expressed in the laws of the State, and where those whose first emphasis is on Christian values cannot prevail, the issue of providing for conscientious opt-outs is raised.
My view is that voluntary agencies set up to respond to public needs in a way that reflects distinctive religious values should not be forced to act contrary to those values, for example by being required to refer people to agencies that will help arrange abortions, or to give children . . . for adoption to gay couples.
This is particularly so where there are other agencies, not bound by the same values, willing to act”. Although providing for conscientious opt-outs is an issue in the voluntary sector, State officials were obliged to implement the law”, he asserted: “Nobody is obliged to be or to stay a public official, if a conflict of beliefs occurs”.
Dr Mansergh added that he did not believe the only valid and authentic form of republic “is a civic, secular one on the post-1789 French model. It is up to the people to decide what weight we wish to give to organised religion in our affairs”.
F&L Comment: It is disappointing that Dr Mansergh, despite his efforts to accommodate some rights of conscience and freedom of religion, feels bound to repeat the Government’s flawed arguments for excluding any protection for those rights in the Civil Partnership Bill. The Irish Times. March 1. PC/F&L.
Recent Topics
- No Abortion Referendum, Says Harney
- In Final Report, CPA Claims More Older Women Facing Crisis Pregnancies
- HFEA To Be Abolished
- Sex Education Should Promote Marriage - Ofsted
- Deluge of Complaints Leads ASA to Investigate Marie Stopes
- French Senator Pushes Euthanasia Bill
- Criminalising Underage Sex is Constitutional, Court Finds
- Senator Queries Cost of Civil Partnerships
- End of life, Quality of Death
- UK Government Divided over Support for Marriage
- Oxford Team to Use iPS Cells to Study Parkinsons