A High Court judge in the UK has ruled that the complete ban on abortions in Northern Ireland is incompatible with human rights legislation. Mr Justice Horner made the declaration for cases of where pregnancy has been triggered by rape or incest, or where the baby has a severe life-limiting condition. The ruling will be seen as a major victory by so-called pro-choice advocates, who have tried and failed to get abortion declared as a human right at European or UN level for several years. However, the judge did add that he saw no reason in human rights law to allow different abortion limits for disabled babies; at present, UK law allows foetuses to be aborted up to 24 weeks’ gestation, but disabled foetuses to be aborted at any time up to birth.
In a related story, a UK hospital has apologised for adding a “Do Not Resuscitate” order to a patient’s file, on two separate occasions, and including in the reasons, “he has Down’s syndrome and learning difficulties.” The order also stated that the family were ‘unavailable’, despite them visiting the hospital regularly. East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has now admitted that it breached the man’s human rights
Another High Court case has ruled that humanism must be taught as part of the GCSE religious education curriculum, in order to provide a “pluralistic religious education.” The ruling is likely to be appealed, but if upheld, will inevitably lead to even less time being spent on educating schoolchildren about religion. A spokesperson said, “This ruling ignores the degree to which secular humanism dominates the rest of the curriculum.” However, there may actually be advantages if humanism is declared to be a legally equivalent to a religion, as it could not then be taught in any situations where religious teaching or opinions are currently banned.
There has also been a recent Inter-Faith Commission report that concluded that Britain is no longer a Christian country, and that there should be cutbacks in faith schools (because they are deemed socially divisive), Anglican bishops in the House of Lords (to be replaced by other denominations and faiths) and religious school assemblies. The report has been criticised for assuming that an inter-faith approach is better than a Christian foundation to society.
Meanwhile, an independent report into the workings of Sharia courts in the UK has stated that such courts degrade women and are incompatible with human rights legislation. For example, one woman said that she was interrogated “alone and for quite some time” about her sexual activities by two male judges.
Amid all the reports of ISIS horrors in the Middle East, two countries have had large numbers of people turning to Jesus following supernatural events. In Iran, many people are receiving dreams that lead them to study the Bible or discover Jesus; for example, one woman said, “I dreamed that The Light was speaking to me, as I am speaking to you now. It said, ‘Come to Me. I will save and rescue you.’’” And in Israel, 1000 people attended a lecture on the supernatural by a Christian in Tel Aviv, only for it to become a demonstration of words of knowledge and supernatural healing power instead. When a general invitation was made for anyone who wished to receive Jesus as their Saviour, nearly everyone in the room stood.
Also in Israel, a group of Orthodox rabbis have issued a public statement advocating partnership with Christians and appreciating the religious value of Christianity. This is the first such statement since the Second Vatican Council made a statement of affirmation and respect by Christians toward Jews, in 1965.
In TV news, a recent news article listed five well-known comedians who are (more or less publicly) known as Christians: Miranda Hart, Frank Skinner, Johnny Vegas, Sally Phillips, and Ian Hislop. Phillips said, “Having a son with Down’s Syndrome helps me to understand the topsy-turvy topology of the Kingdom of God where the rich are poor and weak are strong and interdependence matters so much and independence so little.”
In sports news, the goalkeeper for Augsburg FC recently apologised for deliberately scuffing the penalty spot while a decision to award a penalty to the home team, FC Cologne. was debated. He then saved the spot-kick as the striker lost his footing. He has now received a bill from FC Cologne charging him nearly ₤90 for repairs to the pitch. He has said he will pay, and will also make a donation to a children’s hospital in Cologne.
And finally, a US company has given each of its 1300 employees a Christmas bonus of $100,000 each. The Texas-based company had a particularly good year in its gas-fracking business.
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