Ireland bows to UN recommendations on contraception, same-sex unions, religious hiring

October 11, 2011

The Irish government has accepted UN recommendations that it should make contraceptive information available to adolescents, consider changing the legal definition of the family, and question the right of religious institutions to hire employees who accept the teachings of their faith.

After a session with the UN’s human-rights council in Geneva, the Irish government accepted a series of recommendations for suggested changes in the country’s policies. Ireland’s government representatives rejected a recommendation to legalize abortion, however.

David Quinn of Dublin’s Iona Institute observed that the recommendations on matters involving human sexuality demonstrated the “ideological bias of another UN body charged with monitoring Ireland’s implementation of human-rights treaties.” He added: “Nothing in the UN human rights documents we have signed justifies demands that Ireland legalise abortion, change the constitutional definition of the family, or weaken the right of religious organisations to hire staff who will reflect their ethos.” Quinn questioned why the Irish government had accepted recommendations that were clearly beyond the authority of the UN council, and voiced his hope that the government would not follow through with policy changes contained in those recommendations.

 

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Further information:

• Government accepts UN call to ensure pre-teens have contraceptive information (Iona Institute)