Only one answer to moral dilemmas — Christ

The proposed constitutional amendment is highly suspect because it takes power away from the family and gives power to the State.

But in practice it will give power to social workers and other unelected State officials who will then have a say-so over the future of our country’s young children, if they wish to interfere by the draconian measure of compulsory adoption, which at a stroke deprives the birth-family of any legal rights over their own children.

It ought to be noted here that cases in which children suffer family abuse are already adequately dealt with under the present law, but are not being efficiently and effectively dealt with the agencies of the State.

The amendment paves the way for enormous legal changes in the status of the family, changes which the wording does not make clear. The amendment in its entirety is a secularist project and part of a far-reaching secularist vision for Irish society which our government is promoting, with the strong support of many sections of the Irish media — they would like to see an end to the 1937 Irish Constitution which envisaged and promoted the ideal of a Christian society based on Christian principles.

Many high-ranking clergymen in the Catholic Church also share the secularist mind-set, and this will, in part, explain why the Church has done so little to oppose the amendment so far.

The secularist vision of Ireland is being presented to us as an easy option and the cure for the many ills of our society. I, for one, assert that it is no such thing, and that there are no easy answers to the moral dilemmas we face. The answer is a person: Christ.

Liam Kearns

Carrick-on-Shannon

Co Roscommon