Catholic counseling group in Ireland offers services to same-sex couples

July 27, 2018 CNA Daily News News Briefs 1 Print

Dublin, Ireland, Jul 27, 2018 / 06:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- To maintain state funding, a Catholic marriage counseling group in the Republic of Ireland, Accord, will reportedly begin to counsel same-sex couples.

Earlier this year, the Irish government threatened to remove state funding from counseling services which did not accept same-sex couples.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in Ireland in 2015.

Accord has now signed a new service agreement with the Irish government.

“Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service CLG has assured Tusla they will provide counselling services regardless of sexual orientation and comply with the agreement,” said a spokeswomen for Ireland’s child and family agency, Tusla, according to the Times.

“Tusla will monitor service providers including Accord Dublin Catholic Marriage Care Service to ensure they comply with the terms of their service level agreement,” she said, noting that if the agreement is not followed through, funding may be withdrawn.

Accord receives the largest amount of public funding among counselling services in the Republic of Ireland.

Tusla is allocating more than 1.59 million euros ($1.86 million) for Accord’s services. The agency has 55 counseling centers in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Accord also teaches relationship and sex education classes in schools, where it does not teach about contraception or same-sex relationships.

Founded in 1962 by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Acccord had offered its services only to opposite-sex couples.

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference failed to provide CNA with comment on the decision.

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

Related Articles

No Picture
News Briefs

N Ireland abortion law breaches human rights, judge rules

October 3, 2019 CNA Daily News 0

Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oct 3, 2019 / 04:41 pm (CNA).- The High Court in Belfast ruled Thursday that the region’s existing abortion law is in violation of the United Kingdom’s human rights commitments.

“It’s a very sad day that the court has denied the right to life for unborn children,” Bernie Smyth, director of the pro-life organization Precious Life, said Oct. 3. Smyth was present when the ruling was made.

The case challenging the legality of the country’s abortion laws was brought forward by a woman named Sarah Ewart, who was denied an abortion in 2013 after it was determined that her baby would not live outside the womb. Ewart, who lives in Belfast, traveled to England for the procedure and has been an advocate for abortion rights in Northern Ireland since then.

Justice Siobhan Keegan declined to make a formal declaration of incompatibility, due to the fact that there is already legislation in place that would make abortion legal in Northern Ireland in the near future. A bill was passed in July by the British parliament that will make both abortion and same-sex marriage legal in the region if a devolved government is not formed by Oct. 21.

Last year, a similar challenge to Northern Ireland’s abortion law was dismissed on a technicality. That case was led by Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, which the judge said had no legal standing to appeal the abortion law.

At that time of the dismissal, the court said there would be a stronger case if it were to be led by a woman who was unable to have an abortion after becoming pregnant after sexual assault or who was carrying a baby with an abnormality. Ewart stepped in to lead this new case.

While elective abortion is legal in the rest of the United Kingdom up to 24 weeks, currently it is legally permitted in Northern Ireland only if the mother’s life is at risk or if there is risk of permanent, serious damage to her mental or physical health.

In September, thousands of people took to the streets of Northern Ireland to protest abortion coming to the country. The “March for their Lives” was organized by Precious Life, who at the time told CNA they were “heartened and encouraged” by the strong turnout, which was estimated to be over 20,000.

The people of Northern Ireland made “ a strong stand against the extreme and undemocratic legislation that Westminster is forcing on Northern Ireland,” said Smyth.

“We believe Northern Ireland is being used as a Trojan horse to push for full ‘decriminalisation’ of abortion across the UK, a euphemism for the full legalisation of abortion through the whole nine months of pregnancy,” said Smyth.

Bills to legalize abortion in cases of fatal fetal abnormality, rape, or incest failed in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2016.

Northern Irish women have been able to procure free National Health Service abortions in England, Scotland, and Wales since November 2017.

[…]

1 Comment

  1. It figures.

    At some point either these types of Catholic services will have to decline the funding and dissolve or give up the pretense of a Catholic identity.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*