I have been hearing a lot lately that blasphemy (swearing) has been decriminalised by the repeal of the religion vilification law. How correct is this? Or maybe it is correct as when many were saying that Pope Francis had said that abortion is no longer a sin. In fact, he had only for a short time (during the Jubilee of Mercy) declared that every priest could absolve people who confessed they had something to do with abortion, without the permission of a bishop. I do not know why he did not make it permanent.

Some are even claiming that, according to the new law, defamation only applies to the President and the Prime Minister and that any religious activity can be interrupted. What about claims by members of the so called ‘pro-life’ movements that abortion is already on the doorstep? Are they not subject to libel action too?

When, in 1980, family planning clinics were opened they met with big opposition. No wonder these were closed after 1987. As far as I know, all types of contraceptives can be purchased legally. Why not open the clinics again?

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.