Keywords: Charter Of Human Rights
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 19 August 2009
31 Comments
Last week a Supreme Court judge gave a sensible decision regarding the case of a quadriplegic man who wants his carers to discontinue
feeding him. 'Right to life' and 'right to die' advocates have had a field day. You'd think they had not read the judgment.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Moira Rayner
- 13 August 2009
What do our major religions have to fear from changes to equal
opportunity law? The challenge is a worthy and a practical one: in what way do the
activities of religious institutions actually reflect the values of
their prophets and visionaries.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Moira Rayner
- 13 August 2009
10 Comments
Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act allows religious and quasi-religious groups
and individuals to 'discriminate' lawfully. It's hard to see the relevance of the beliefs or
lifestyle of a cleaner or clerk in an independent,
para-religious school.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Kevin McGovern
- 31 July 2009
1 Comment
The call by law professor Loane Skene for women to sell their eggs for embryonic stem cell research
ignores medical evidence of the health risks, and international evidence that the
legalisation of the sale of eggs leads to exploitation of women.
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AUSTRALIA
Going to jail for the right
reasons is noble. In effect Jesus called for a kind of civil
disobedience. He went to jail for justice.
Today, I would be prepared to
be jailed for resisting consorting laws. Exclusive preview: The John Smith Quarterly Essay
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 11 May 2009
2 Comments
While it is inherently racist for a person to claim membership of the
best race, it is no bad thing for a religious person to claim
membership of the one true religion. That is what religious people do.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 02 April 2009
3 Comments
We need to be on our guard against laws and policies enacted in the name of the public interest but with insufficient consideration for the human rights of the minority.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 02 March 2009
2 Comments
The medical pledge to do no harm no matter what the cost effective
benefits, and the conscience of the doctor are still
key elements in any law which promotes good medicine. –Frank Brennan, addressing the Medico Legal Society of Victoria
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 27 February 2009
3 Comments
Professor Martha Nussbaum's recent book Liberty of Conscience provides a rich textured treatment of the place of religion in the public square. If God is taken out of the picture,
it may be difficult to maintain a human rights commitment to the
weakest and most despised in society.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 10 December 2008
5 Comments
Sixty years on, it is fashionable to describe the Declaration of Human Rights as a peculiarly western, individualistic conception. It was not. Now is the time for Australia to discuss how best to make the State attentive to the still, small voice of conscience.
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INTERNATIONAL
- James Montgomery
- 09 December 2008
5 Comments
A landmark ruling in Victoria's 'terrorism trial' found the accused were subjected to oppressive conditions beyond what prisoners on remand should endure. It's as if they were to be punished prior to the outcome of the trial, irrespective of the jury verdict.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 24 September 2008
25 Comments
The Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne has said Catholic Hospitals will not abide by Victorian legislation that compels health professionals to participate in abortions. Civil libertarians are well advised to support this stand, regardless of their moral views.
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