Referrals Again
On an 80s comedy programme On the hour a comedian rang up Conservative Central Office pretending to have a story about Neil Kinnock behaving badly. Central Office said that they were not prepared...
View ArticleReferrals and the Sexual-Orientation Regulations
In the recent debate concerning the Sexual-Orientation Regulations and adoption agencies the Roman-Catholic Church asserted that its adoption agencies would have to close if the Regulations were...
View ArticleWhat makes a Catholic institution?
Catholic charities of all kinds are ceasing to be so. In some cases they like to parade their Catholic 'heritage' when asking for Catholic money. It would be useful to have proper criteria for Catholic...
View Article'Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice'
The consultation is about a draft ‘guidance’ document, ‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice’ (‘PBMP’), from the General Medical Council. Using examples, the Guidelines aim to set out principles which...
View ArticleGenetic Enhancements: reply to Savalescu
My talk at the inaugaral meeting of the Wolfson Applied Philosophy Society, chaired by Dr Francine Baker. My paper responds in general terms to an article by Professor Julian Savalescu of the Oxford...
View ArticleCatholicism and Acupuncture
Fr Timothy Finnigan, Parish Priest of Blackfen and blogger, wrote on acupuncture and Catholicism in his regular column in the Catholic Herald, 16/11/07, concluding:A Catholic ought to be sure that...
View ArticleCFFC attack on conscientious objection
Catholic For a Free Choice campaigns for abortion; it has been condemned by the US Catholic Bishops' Conference; see the information here. It is currently seeking to undermine the role of 'conscience...
View ArticleHumanae Vitae
Letter published in the Catholic Herald, Julty 25th 2008.Sir,I enjoyed Quentin de la Bedoyere’s interview with Professor John Marshall (Features, 18th July), a member of the commission which vainly...
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Licit cooperation with evil
Here it is, in Poland (hat-tip to the Hermeneutic of Continuity). The window can be opened from the outside. A person with a baby the parents are unable or unwilling to care for can pop the baby in and...
View ArticleThe Pope on AIDS and condoms
My attention has been drawn to a very interesting article on Alligator online by Michael Webb, which goes into some detail about the research on the effectiveness of condoms. The Pope's claim that...
View ArticleDiscrimination in hiring: the Christian colleges in America
The American Philosophical Association is undergoing a rancourous debate about a proposal to prevent various Protestant universites from advertising in the APA's paper, 'Jobs for Philosophers'. The...
View ArticleIntention in Cardiff
I recently gave a talk on euthanasia to the studen Pro-Life Society in Cardiff University. This gave rise to a question from a graduate student, by email, as follows (in part). His questions are in...
View ArticleWhy Catholic Apologetics doesn't work
The crescendo of condemnation of the Church on her teachings on sexuality, especially as they impinge on public policy (civil partnerships, adoption, sex education) has led many Catholics to long for...
View ArticleI told you so!
This week, we read the following news item:Judge Walker's ruling overturned Prop. 8, an amendment to California's constitution approved by voters in November 2008 that defines marriage as being between...
View ArticleThe Pope on Condoms: from the Anscombe Bioethics Centre
The Pope on AIDS and condomsWhat the Pope said:Peter Seewald: On the occasion of your trip to Africa in March 2009, the Vatican's policy on Aids once again became the target of media criticism....
View ArticleThe Pope on condoms: some conclusions
The Pope's remarks on condoms have generated a tidal wave of blogging by orthodox Catholics eager to counter the absurd reporting by the secular media.It is pleasing to see that a consensus quickly...
View ArticleLuke Gormally replies to Rhonheimer
I can't find this online in a convenient form, though it appeared here (scroll down). It deserves a wider audience.------------------------------An open letter to Fr. Martin Rhonheimer by Luke...
View ArticleRhonheimer's mistake
I have been reading Fr Martin Rhonheimer's reply to Luke Gormally, and it seems to me that he is making a demonstrable mistake. This is of interest since he is a rigorous and in many ways an impressive...
View ArticleThe problem of state neutrality, again
My attention has recently been drawn to a new organisation, the English Defence League. I'm very hazy about what it is all about* but one paragraph in the mission statement caught my eye.We also...
View ArticleIntending harms: some thoughts
Following the Double Effect conference organised by the Anscombe Centre, I've been thinking about what it means to intend harms. Here are some preliminary thoughts.There are a range of ways of...
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