Displaying items by tag: Family Values

Children's doctors have called for the prohibition of smacking children in England and Northern Ireland, decrying current laws as 'unjust and dangerously vague’. They argue that physical punishment inflicts lasting mental and physical harm on children. While Scotland and Wales have already banned corporal punishment, England and Northern Ireland still allow parents to justify smacking as 'reasonable punishment’. Professor Andrew Rowland says, 'Changing the laws in England and Northern Ireland will give us absolute clarity and ensure there are no instances where it is acceptable or lawful to smack a child’. Challenging the Government’s reluctance, Joanna Barrett has said, 'All children deserve the same protection from assault as adults’.

Rev David Robertson, former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, said new guidance on transgenderism sent to Scottish schools is 'harmful and totalitarian'. The document, 'Supporting Transgender Young People', was partly funded by the Scottish government and created in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland and the Scottish Trans Alliance. It says that teachers should not inform parents of a child's desire to change gender unless the child agrees, and allow children to use whichever toilet and changing room facilities they prefer, adding, ‘If parents voice concerns about their child sharing toilets and/or changing rooms with a trans learner, they should be reminded of the school's ethos of inclusion, equality and respect'. The guidance also recommends gender-neutral dress code options and allowing students to compete in sports according to their gender identity.

Belarus has accused the UK embassy in Minsk of ‘creating problems’ by flying a rainbow flag for International Day Against Homophobia. The embassy said the banner directed attention to the discrimination that LGBT people encounter constantly. But the interior ministry said the majority of Belarusians ‘support traditional family values’, and ‘such statements are a challenge to these values’. Alexander Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for nearly a quarter-century, believes it is ‘better to be a dictator than gay’. Orthodox Christianity is Belarus’s major religion, with significant Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities. Homosexuality is not illegal but it is considered taboo: Belarus passed legislation in 2016 banning information that ‘discredits the institution of the family and marriage’.

It has been confirmed that 81-year-old Pope Francis will visit Dublin on Saturday 25 August to take part in the Festival of Families, a faith-based cultural concert in Croke Park, and celebrate Mass in Phoenix Park the following day. Bearing in mind the current contemporary challenges that face families in both Ireland and elsewhere, the Catholic bishops said, ‘We are deeply honoured that Pope Francis will come to our country to participate in this universal church celebration of faith and joy’, adding that they look forward to hearing apostolic guidance.