ONE word stood out from the judgment that sent Ivor Callely to prison for five months yesterday. Entitlement.

The legal status of abortion in Ireland remains chaotically unclear despite three controversial referenda being passed since 1983, writes Dan Buckley

Vera Duffy still fights for justice for her son Alan, even though the State and doctors deny a vaccine induced a reaction causing him to suffer brain damage, Arlene Harris reports.

VICTIMS’ organisation One in Four has called for a statutory inquiry into Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid, as it emerged that gardaí are investigating two complaints of abuse against him.

The Government today faced calls for an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving the former Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid.

Eight years ago Theresa Tinggal discovered she was illegally adopted. Now aged 56, Theresa, like many others, is still fighting for information about the circumstances of her birth. She tells Conall Ó Fátharta about her quest to find her true identity and the obstacles that remain in her way.

THE state’s failings in relation to out-of-home and at-risk children were clearly flagged 30 years ago, but then, as now, the official response was less than laudable.

ABORTION has been a divisive matter in Irish society and will continue to be a burning issue.

PEOPLE with mental health problems are “so out of it on drugs” that they cannot function properly or tap into therapeutic care, psychiatrist Dr Ivor Browne has said.

FIANNA FÁIL Senator Ivor Callely is lucky that none of the 6,600 people who joined doles queues in April are members of the Oireachtas committee he wants to arbitrate on his decision to claim travel expenses from his west Cork holiday home to the Seanad.

Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter is said to be "considering" the HSE's request that he withdraw from the public record a report into the case of a young woman who died in 2002 while in State care.

TRACEY FAY, who died following a litany of failures by the state and its agencies, was one of around 20 children at risk at the time because of a lack of secure care.

CHILDREN’S Minister Barry Andrews said the long delay in preparing a report into the death of a teenager in state care eight years ago was indefensible.

The Children's Minister Barry Andrews has denied that he tried to cover up a report into the death of an 18-year old mother of two who was in the care of the State.

HEALTH authorities have inadequate powers to protect children in danger of being sexually abused outside of the family, the Murphy report on clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese has claimed.

RAPIST Simon McGinley destroyed the life of his youngest victim, the woman raped by him at the age of just 13 revealed.

A case of human rabies was confirmed in the North tonight.

A 14-YEAR-OLD pregnant girl in the care of the Health Service Executive (HSE) decided against an abortion just before the authority was due to ask the district court to allow her travel abroad for the procedure.

LIVING quarters provided by the Defence Forces for serving members are under-used and sometimes abused, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report has found.

An African man who raped a teenage Zambian girl he claimed he had married has been given a 15 years prison sentence by Mr Justice Barry White at the Central Criminal Court.

An African man who faces sentence for raping a teenage Zambian girl he claimed he had married has told the Central Criminal Court he wishes to fire his third legal team.

Former Minister of State Ivor Callely received almost half the total donations made to all Irish politicians last year, it emerged today.

HOUSEBUILDER Joe Moran yesterday disclosed to the Mahon planning tribunal how he paid €20,000 in 2002 to Fine Gael county councillor Anne Devitt, who helped him get public road access to his lands.

DOMESTIC violence support group Women’s Aid has called for a single Government department to take control of the area of domestic violence.

The Government has accepted the resignation of Minister of State Ivor Callely, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil this morning.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will today ask embattled Minister of State Ivor Callely to resign or he will dismiss him from the Government.

GOVERNMENT and Health Service Executive (HSE) officials last night declined to comment on whether Minister of State Ivor Callely was ever in a position to influence any building projects awarded to John Paul Construction.

Junior Transport Minister Ivor Callely is coming under further fire today amid allegations that one of Ireland's largest building firms paid for painting work on his home in Dublin.

AN appropriate pay deal is in place for the top Health Service Executive (HSE) positions, Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney insisted yesterday.

IF you were Eddie Hobbs, presenter of the Rip Off Republic series on RTÉ, wouldn’t you just love to have a Minister of State attack you, especially with a threadbare attack like that launched by Tim O’Malley this week.

The Government's spending watchdog has presented a special report on the health sector to the Dáil.

IT will take four more years before the national breast-screening programme is fully rolled out, the Department of Health admitted yesterday.

A Dublin poet who went "berserk" and attacked his neighbours with a sword because he thought they were talking about him has to do 240 hours of community service in lieu of a two year sentence.

A published poet who went "berserk" and attacked his neighbours with a sword because he thought they were talking about him has been remanded on bail for sentence on July 26.

FAMILY doctors have been fire-bombed, subjected to armed robberies and serious physical assaults over the last 18 months and are demanding action from the Department of Health.

TEENAGERS account for one-third of all sex offenders and the majority are males aged 15 and 16, according to childcare experts.

More than 20 pupils who contracted a mystery illness at a secondary school in Co Kildare yesterday remain in hospital this morning.

HEALTH board staff cuts will leave some families reliant on respite care without any home help later this month.

More than 2,700 non-national children separated from both parents have been referred to the East Coast Area Health Board in the past five years, according to a new report from the Irish Refugee Council.

FILIPINO nurses have threatened to return home unless their work contracts are extended.

The results of blood tests on a Chinese woman regarded as a high-risk Sars suspect were expected to be handed to doctors in Dublin today.

A Chinese woman declared a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome suspect is said to be “at very serious risk” of having contracted the sickness.

HEALTH boards need to be totally revamped and much of their community care role needs to be transferred to other agencies, a leading expert said yesterday.