ICGP conference refuses to back Government proposal on abortion

At the annual conference of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) today, doctors rejected the wording of a motion which called on members to support the publication of the Government’s draft Bill on abortion. Instead doctors voted in favour of an amended motion calling on the government to introduce evidence based medical guidelines when bringing forward clarity regarding the treatment of mothers in pregnancy.*
Dr Kirsten Fuller who attended the conference in Galway said:
“The amended motion which was carried today is a clear defeat for the pro-choice side.
“The refusal of GPs to endorse the recently published heads of the Bill on abortion sends a very strong message to the Government that any proposal it produces must be evidence based. The amended motion which was passed in its place also makes this abundantly clear.
“Introducing abortion on the ground of threatened suicide would certainly not be evidence based. Following today's vote and the rejection of abortion at the recent IMO conference, the Government cannot ignore the concerns being raised by doctors.”
The text of the amended motion as passed was as follows:
This meeting calls on the ICGP to call on the government to introduce clarity in the law founded on evidence based medical guidelines where there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother.


( For those not resident in Ireland)

The Irish College of General Practitioners is the body responsible for education, training and standards in general practice. The College's primary aim is to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice. This is achieved by providing support to members in both their daily work in the practice and throughout each stage of their career.

When bad men combine, the good must associate

The headline is the opening of a phrase by Edmund Burke . The full quote is " When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."

John Stuart Mills said something similar in 1816 at St. Andrews
"Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."
Another quote often ascribed to Edmund Burke is 
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”

We are in a situation now in Ireland where a group of bad men are trying to impose their will against the will of the people. Despite the objections of Psychiatrists, despite the objection of the Irish Medical Organisation which represents Irish Doctors, despite the fact that the Inquest into Savita's death showed no link between termination and her death, despite the many thousands who have marched in the streets and the many thousands who have written to their Deputies, Enda Kenny refuses to back down. For this abortion legislation to come about it needs people to do nothing. It is incumbent on us to fight this legislation using all legitimate means to do so. The right to life is the fundamental right on which all other rights spring from. Other countries that legislated for medically restricted abortion have experienced it as the opening of the flood gates to abortion on demand.

We must continue to write to all our deputies and senators, continue to sign petitions and continue when needed to have mass demonstrations.
This government is the most corrupt government since Irish Independence. It has already broken every single promise it made before the elections. It has continued the policy of Irish serfdom to international groups. We are now indentured slaves to the Euro movement. Enough is enough, in the words of Jem Larkin:"The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise."

BOSTON COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT STATEMENT by Cardinal Seán O'Malley

Because the Gospel of Life is the centrepiece of the Church’s social doctrine and because we consider abortion a crime against humanity, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have asked that Catholic institutions not honour government officials or politicians who promote abortion with their laws and policies.

 

Recently I learned that the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Hon. Mr. Enda Kenny was slated to receive an honorary degree at Boston College’s graduation this year. I am sure that the invitation was made in good faith, long before it came to the attention of the leadership of Boston College that Mr. Kenny is aggressively promoting abortion legislation.  The Irish Bishops have responded to that development by affirming the Church’s teaching that  “the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of life is always morally wrong” and expressed serious concern that the proposed legislation “represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law.” 

 

Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation. It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the confusion, disappointment and harm caused by not adhering to the Bishops’ directives.  Although I shall not be present to impart the final benediction, I assure the graduates that they are in my prayers on this important day in their lives, and I pray that their studies will prepare them to be heralds of the Church’s Social Gospel and “men and women for others,” especially for the most vulnerable in our midst.


(slated in the US means scheduled ) 

Archbishop Cordileone states the case for preserving the definition of marriage

Archbishop Cordileone states the case for preserving the definition of marriage

New Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin

His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, the Very Reverend Denis Nulty, Parish Priest of Saint Mary’s Parish, Drogheda, Diocese of Meath.

Monsignor Denis Nulty was born in Slane, County Meath on 7 June 1963 to parents Den Nulty and Nan Balfe. He is the youngest of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. The family farm was the home where Denis and his siblings were reared.
He attended Primary School at Saint Patrick’s National School, Slane and Secondary School at Saint Patrick’s Classical School, Navan, completing the Leaving Certificate exam in 1981.
Denis entered the seminary at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth in September 1981, completing a BA in 1984 and a BD in 1987.
He was ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Meath in Saint Patrick’s Church, Slane on 12 June 1988 by Bishop Michael Smith in the presence of Bishop John McCormack.
In September 1988 Bishop Smith appointed Father Denis as Curate in the Cathedral Parish at Mullingar where he served for ten years until 1998.
In August 1998 Bishop Smith appointed Father Denis as Parish Priest of Saint Mary’s, Drogheda where he has remained until the present day.
In 2006 Father Denis followed a course of study in All Hallows College, Dublin, leading to an MA in Management for the Pastoral and Voluntary Services being awarded by DCU.
In September 2006 Bishop Smith appointed Father Denis as Vicar Forane for the Duleek Deanery which comprises seven parishes.  Father Denis has been Chairperson of the Council of Priests in the Diocese of Meath for the past eight years.

Some Interesting sites

Here are a few sites I have come across that people might find interesting.

Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae is a rich treasury about the Irish saints

Cor Jesu Sacratissimum  is a blog by new arrivals in Ireland who are converts to the faith. They were both heavily involved in the  New Age movement before their conversion

An Irish Ordinariate is a blog by a Fr O who  little by little wishes to promote the idea of an Irish Ordinariate

 

 

Catholic Media Ireland.

The latest edition of the Brandsma Review arrived the other day. This edition has excellent articles on the pontificate of Benedict XVI. I have noticed a continued improvement in the BR under its new editor.

The Irish Catholic also  under a new editor has become very daring. It had an  article on Archbishop Martin of Dublin. The editor has expressed what many of us have been thinking.
http://www.irishcatholic.ie/20130502/opinion/dublins-outsider-archbishop-S33020.html

The IC has an article by Mary Kenny on the experience of abortion legislation in Sweden. http://www.irishcatholic.ie/20130502/news/what-sweden-can-teach-in-the-abortion-debate-S33045.html

C-Case mum: I grieve for my lost baby every day - Independent.ie

C-Case mum: I grieve for my lost baby every day - Independent.ie