Pedophilia, Ratzinger and the Catholic Church
> To Sinead O’Connor, the pope’s apology for sex abuse in Ireland seems hollow, by Sinead O’Connor at The Washington Post > Should There Be
Health Reform
USA: On March 21, 2010 the President Barack Obama announced that he will be issuing an executive order after the passage of the health insurance reform law that will reaffirm its consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion. See a series of opinions regarding this issue.
Nicaragua abortion law puts pregnant cancer victim at risk
Nicaragua: On 2 February, 2010 a 27-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in Leon, the second largest city in Nicaragua. She was diagnosed with an advanced case of cancer, which had metastasised and may have spread to her breasts, brain and lungs. She was told she couldn’t be prescribed an aggressive chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment because she was pregnant and, under Nicaraguan law, any medical procedure to save the life of a mother is banned if it jeopardises the life of the foetus.
The stand taken by one brave catholic priest against Prop-8, the California referendum on gay marriage
USA: Read about the stand taken by one brave catholic priest against Prop-8, the California referendum on gay marriage.
Australia is first to recognise ‘non-specified’ gender
Australia: On March 8th, 2010, Australia may have made gender history, as the New South Wales government lays claim to being the first in the world to recognise an individual’s sex as officially “not specified”.
France removes transsexuality from the listing of mental disorders
France: In February 2010, France became the first country in the world to remove transsexuality from its official list of mental disorders.
New Spanish Abortion Law
Spain: The Spanish Senate voted to ease the country’s restrictions on abortion, rejecting the opposition of the Catholic bishops and the Vatican over access to safe and legal abortion in that country.
US HIV/AIDS policy
USA: On December 18th 2009, the SPW website posted an article written by Natalie Wittlin about the retention of the ‘prostitution pledge’ in the new proposed US HIV/AIDS policy guidelines announced by the Obama Administration on November 23rd. On December 29th, the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de São Paulo published an article entitled The United States will provide funds to prostitutes, which the content contradicted SPW’s analysis of PEPFAR.
Mexico City have become the first in Latin America to legalise gay marriage
Mexico: In 2009, December 21, the Mexican capital became the first in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage with a groundbreaking law which could set a precedent for gay rights across the region.