Surprise, Surprise the bishops are against lowering the age of consent!

Catholic bishops hit out at proposed lowering of age of consent

Catholic bishops are hitting out at the proposal to lower the age of consent to 16, saying it sends the wrong signal to young people and parents.

In a statement issued after the December meeting of the Irish Bishops Conference they say they are viewing the proposal with alarm.

Last month the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Child Protection recommended that the age of consent be lowered to 16.

Today the bishops are setting out their views on the issue.

They say it sends out the wrong signal to a young generation who, under the influence of teenage glossy magazines, peer pressure and binge drinking, feel engaging in sexual activity is something trivial.

The bishops also feel it sends out the wrong signal to parents, who they claim are themselves confused as to how they should react in the face of their children's activities.

The heads of the Irish Catholic Church go on to say they are amazed that politicians and public opinion makers shy away from confronting the basic demands of morality.

In today's statement the bishops are also calling for legislation to control the technology of assisted human reproduction.

Source: BreakingNews.ie

Well, all I can say is thank god the Government dosent pander to the Catholic Church as much as it used to.

I hope they do reduce the age of consent to 16 as long as they keep an equal age of consent for homosexuals also.

Strong condoms dont make a difference

Southern Gay Men's Health Project (SGMHP), along with many other HIV and

AIDS organisations in Ireland and the UK, have changed the advice that we

are giving to gay and bisexual men about which condoms are appropriate for

gay sex. The message of this campaign is that any Kite-marked or CE-marked

condom with adequate lubricant is suitable for anal sex.

Since the early 80s, when HIV was first discovered, extra-strong condoms

have been recommended for anal sex. However, research has shown that there

is no difference in failure rates between standard and extra-strong

condoms when used for anal sex.

"Having followed the research for some time, we are now beginning to give

out standard condoms. The usage of thinner condoms not only means that

anal sex will feel better – a complaint laid against extra-strong

condoms - it enables gay men to be aware that if for any reason they don't

happen to have extra-strong condoms to hand that regular condom and

adequate lube is as safe," says Paul Madden, Outreach Worker with SGMHP.

"Whether standard condoms or extra-strong condoms are used," he continued,

"is up to an individuals personal choice. The objective of this campaign

is to inform our community of current thinking to enable them to make the

best informed choices with regards to their sexual health."

From the first weekend in November SGMHP will be distributing their condom

packs with regular strength condoms in them. Outreach Volunteers will be

in all gay bars and pubs around Cork city with the condom packs and

information cards. "Studies have found that inappropriate use of lubricant

was the chief cause of condom failure," says Madden, "Our advice is,

unroll the condom on to the penis; use a lot lubricant, applying the

lubricant to the outside of the condom only, and apply additional

lubricant in and around the anus."

Condoms and lubricant are available, free of charge from Cork Gay

Community Development Project on 8 South Main Street.



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