The Gazette 1967/71

the Church would dictate its terms. What I mean is that it would be more satisfactory if the Church's voice, in a civil setting> were heard across the table from the voice of those who dis agreed with it, and that it might actually be more effective and more persuasive than if it is heard merely at long range from Maynooth," he con cluded. Problems to be considered include:— (1) That, under the Adoption Act 1952, the adoptive par ents must be of the same religioon as the adopted child. (2) Whereas the minimum legal age of marriage in the Republic is 12 years for girls and 14 years for boys, yet it is an offence under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935 to have intercourse with a girl under 17 years. (3) How far does Irish law recognise the val idity of divorces granted by Courts in other coun tries. (4) Actions for criminal conversation which affect a family should be heard in camera without publicity. Professor Michael Fogarty, director of the Economic and Social Research Institute, replying to Senator Kelly, supported his suggestion for a commission on the civil law of marriage. On contraception, he said that he regarded Humanae Vitate as a vital and inspired document, which properly set down the attitude to sex we should follow. But, speaking as an orthodox Catholic, he said, this did not necessarily mean we should follow it letter by letter, in the way of certain dioceses in this country. Professor Fogarty felt that some interpretations of Humanae Vitae were not in the orthodox Catholic tradition. They were much more in that of Bible-belt Protestantism, in the sense that they rested on an unreasoned, face-value interpretation of the document. Some church authorities too often threw the bare little page at us, and nothing else, while elsewhere in the Catholic Church there was experimentation and reconsideration going on, around which was forming a new understanding; this, he felt, would leave the essential church teaching on sex the same, but present a very differ ent picture of one's day-to-day conduct on con traception.

Senator Ruaidhri Brugha, Fianna Fail, said he agreed with most of what Senator Kelly had said. He didn't feel we would change the constitution simply to appear more acceptable. We should set our own house in order as it ought to be; if we did this, we might find that others might like to be in it. (Irish Times, 13th March, 1971). MINISTER PELTED WITH EGGS The Minister for Justice, Mr. O'Malley, told the Kevin Barry Cumann of Fianna Fail at U.C.D. last night that it was surprising that so few young people today took part in politics—then had to be hustled out of the meeting under a shower of eggs and to the cries of "Fascist, Fascist" from a group of protesters. The Minister was speaking to a commemorative meeting of the Cumann on "Youth in Politics" and had just in the course of his address, begun to speak about the Criminal Justice and Forcible Entry Bill, when shouting and scuffles broke out among the students, and about six young men from the back of the hall began firing eggs. Right through his speech, Mr. O'Malley was heckled. It was a matter of regret, he said, that such a small proportion of young people held opinions on public matters and only the more extreme views were portrayed. Mr. O'Malley then talked about the part the news media played today in public affairs. To a greater extent, he said, opinions were made for people by the media, and people were less anxious to think for themselves. The Criminal Justice Bill, said Mr. O'Malley, had 70 sections, which would need a lot of study to be understood. In spite of all these facts, they had been summoned up in one short half-hour television programme, in one column in a news paper article, and opinions had been made as a result. At that point, the meeting broke up. Eggs were thrown at the Minister by a group of six or seven young students at the back of the room. Scuffles began between rival factions among the students, 245