Friday, August 21, 2009

IRISH BLASPHEMY LAW AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS

EU Observer has reported that European Commission is to consider a complaint by a Swedish MP who criticises Irish blasphemy law. Karl Sigfrid, a conservative member of the Swedish Parliament, says he is concerned that Swedish citizens travelling in Ireland 'could be punished for merely expressing a view on a religion or religious symbol'. Mr Sigfrid has been reported as saying it was bad legislation that could spread to other EU member states.
" Writing in the EU Observer, the Swedish MP said the new law was inconsistent with human rights laws under existing EU treaties. He said that defining blasphemy as speech that offends a substantial number of religious followers gives the churches the power to gradually expand the application of the law." Mr Sigfrid claimed: "A not too far-fetched guess is that statements threatening the power of religious leaders will awaken the strongest reactions and therefore be considered the most offensive ones, resulting in punishment by the state."
General Medical Council in UK has already put the interests of the religious before those of the patients when it found that a nun was offended by me when I pointed religious uniforms are not to be worn when working with mentally ill and that therefore, I was guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The result has been that patients were deprived of psychiatric care and some died.
In my opinion, General Medical Council has to exclude people whose religious views are incompatible with Human Rights from sitting on Fitness to Practice disciplinary proceedings. I wonder how many people have died already because they are prevented from having a good doctor even though they paid their taxes for doctors education, hospitals and ultimately GMC itself.

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