Fear dictates Ireland's abortion policy

"Pro-life hatred so dominates the debate it's hard to imagine any real change following this bid to overturn the Irish abortion ban."This piece resonates so greatly with me. As a pro-abortion women who has spent most of her life so far living in Ireland, I know that there is...

Kick the state out of our [gay and straight] bedrooms

In many respects, this has long been the issue for me with regard to gay marriage/ civil unions. It is the interference of the state, again, in the decisions that we (any of us) make about our private lives. The UK government interferes with every single aspect of our private...

Source of Iraq 45-minute WMD 'intelligience' was a taxi driver

"Introducing the first of the British government's "dodgy dossiers" on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in 2002, the then prime minister, Tony Blair, announced that Saddam Hussein's military planning "allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to...

Iran’s investigations into abuses are a sham, says Amnesty

"The Iranian government’s investigations into allegations of torture, rape and unlawful killings in the country “seemed to have been more concerned with covering up abuses than getting at the truth”, Amnesty International said today." Well, there's nothing too...

Has Amanda Knox been demonised more than the male co-convicteds?

Feminist criminologists have been studying perceptions of female offenders for a number of years now. The data collected around this issue indicate that a woman will be demonised to a greater extent than a man for committing the same offence. For example: "With the murders...

Hate Crimes Spike: Religion, Race, Sexuality are Main Targets

"Conservative religious leaders were some of the sharpest opponents of the federal legislation passed in October that expanded federal hate crimes law to include protections for homosexuals." Here are some interesting statistics about hate crime in the US. Now, I am undecided...

South Wales police admit failings in rape inquiry

"A police force failed to properly investigate an allegation of rape and let the victim down "by basic policing errors and lack of adequate support", an independent investigation has found."This is another in a series of stories highlighted by this author on the treatment and...

Expert view on rape: 'Victims are judged and often not believed'

"The ability of the criminal justice system to deal effectively and humanely with both rape victims, and victims with mental health problems, has been an area of persistent criticism in recent times."I think I could probably post a piece a day about this issue. Rape victims...

Rape complaint woman reaches settlement with police

"In the first known case of its kind, a woman who made a rape complaint which was not investigated properly has reached an out of court settlement with police. Catherine says the man who raped her knew he was targeting a particularly vulnerable woman." This is gratifying news...

Pakistan must help break al-Qaeda, says Brown

"Gordon Brown has told the BBC that Pakistan must do more to "break" al-Qaeda and find Osama Bin Laden. Questions must be asked about why nobody had been able "to spot or detain or get close to" the al-Qaeda leader, the prime minister said. " I really cannot help but find it...

Irish Church accused of abuse cover-up

"A damning report into child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese has criticised the Catholic Church hierarchy for covering up the abuse. The report investigated how Church and state authorities handled allegations of child abuse against 46 priests. " I thought that this had...

Inquiry into the Iraq war incapable of deciding on legality

"The Chilcot inquiry is incapable of addressing the key issue of whether the invasion of Iraq was legal, senior judicial figures have said, adding to the controversy surrounding the inquiry's legitimacy."Is this going to be taking two steps back before it's even begun? It's...

Straight couple to apply for civil partnership

"Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, from Holloway, London, hope to make history tomorrow morning by becoming the first straight couple to apply for a civil partnership in Britain. Their application is a protest against discriminatory UK laws that segregate couples by their...

Prostitution: a crime of purchasing

"Peers have been debating the policing and crime bill. Their deliberations mean that the government will take a historic step: instead of controlling prostitution by punishing women, it will penalise the purchasers – the men." This is an unpredictable development. (And one...

Women worked to death in Lebanon

"Four Ethiopian domestic workers are thought to have killed themselves in three weeks. Lebanon must protect these women. They mop floors, take out the rubbish, walk the dog, buy groceries and care for the children, the elderly or disabled. Many a well-to-do and lower middle...