The EU’s ‘Culture of Death’ and more

As reported in yesterday’s Irish Times, a parish priest has denied claims that he spread a “vote no to Lisbon” leaflet (although he doesn’t deny that he wrote and signed it). The leaflet claimed that the EU has:

“embraced the ‘Culture of Death’. Yet again, Europe has become a slaughterhouse. Millions of its own children have been slaughtered”

This is in spite of the fact that only 17 out of 25 members of the European Union have access to safe and legal abortion on request (data accurate to 2007 – pdf). As an aside, far more have access to abortion to save the life of the mother (all except Malta); Ireland’s laws prohibit abortion except in the case of risk of death to the mother. Not, however, in the case of rape, incest, preservation of physical or mental health, fetal impairment or economic or social reasons.

The real gem, however, is the quote at the end of the article, from Cardinal Tarcision Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state.

“If Europe recognised homosexual couples as equal to marriage, for example, it would go against its own history. And it would be right to stand against it. The Church wants to encourage states in this.”

The age-old argument of “we’ve always done it this way, why should we change?” emerges. Never mind that polygamy was also the status quo at one point, the institution that tried to cover up systematic child sex abuse, that instigates the oppression of women’s rights and that caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people in the Crusades also want you to live in a static age; one that never progresses or advances. The Vatican, apparently, feels the need to retain control over who you love, who you have sex with, who you marry, what contraception you use, what you do in the case of that contraception failing, what you do when you’re raped, whether you want to go through the trauma of a still-birth (in the full knowledge that this will occur). I think I would be more appalled if there weren’t people like CountMeOut.ie in this country, providing people with information on leaving the Catholic Church.

Ok, rant over.

On a separate note:

The UCD Secular Humanist Society is holding an event tomorrow evening in the Blue Room of the Student Centre. Michael Nugent, the chair of Atheist Ireland, will be speaking on the topic ‘Blasphemy is a Human Right’. All members are invited (if you’re not a member you can sign up there and then, for a mere €2). The event starts at 6pm. This is sure to be a great talk; I’ve heard Michael on the radio before and he’s got some great ideas. E-mail ucdhumanistsociety@gmail.com for more information, or follow them on Twitter.

Happy Wednesday

– Conor

 

Angry angry angry angry angry #nbd

I have a headache. I’m pretty pissed off. I’ve been reading about the amendment to the Defamation Bill (2006). I’ll make this short, ’cause if I ramble I’ll just get more annoyed.

The background: According to the Constitution, it is illegal to blaspheme. Article 40

6. 1° The State guarantees liberty for the exercise of the following rights, subject to public order and morality:
i. The right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions.
The education of public opinion being, however, a matter of such grave import to the common good, the State shall endeavour to ensure that organs of public opinion, such as the radio, the press, the cinema, while preserving their rightful liberty of expression, including criticism of Government policy, shall not be used to undermine public order or morality or the authority of the State.
The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law.

However, there is no definition of the term “blasphemous”. This was realised by the Supreme Court in 1999, where it was recommended that this be removed from the Constitution. However, Dermot Ahern has proposed that instead we amend the Defamation Bill to include a definition of blasphemy, as well as a fine punishable by €100,000 (so as to have the case  automatically seen by the Supreme Court). Now, a spokesperson says that:

“The Minister has been told by the Attorney General that he has to have a law in relation to blasphemous libel, so he is amending the existing law to remove the jail term,” he said. “The alternative in not having the law is for the country to hold a referendum removing that article from the Constitution.”

Hang on, hang on, hang on. So instead of getting rid of a pathetic part of the Constitution, we’re gonna keep this awful idea?

However, I do appreciate the Minister’s position to a certain extent. A referendum on blasphemy? How silly.

I would suggest, instead,that we have a referendum to modernise the document that forms the basis for our State.

We could change such gems as (Article 41):

1. 1° The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.

2° The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State.

2. 1° In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

2° The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.

We could create a secular state, where religion does not interfere with the government and the government does not interfere with religion. There are hundreds of reasons why this should be, but I don’t want to get into that tonight. We could do any number of wonderfully progressive things, such as removing the mention of gods from the Constitution. 

Anyway, look, maybe you think the blasphemy definition should be there. Maybe you are a hardcore anti-secularist Catholic who feels massively offended whenever your faith is questioned. The best advice I have for you is to go and read this article by Michael Nugent (that’s not entirely true, I have more advice). Don’t skim through it, read the entire thing. Me, I’m gonna go watch The Life of Brian and try and calm down. Bah.