I can.

If she has any sense, she’ll say she has bipolar disorder. Maybe a dual diagnosis with Tourette’s syndrome as well.

Reminds me of Orwell’s Big Brother she could have been leader of the junior anti sex league of big brother.

Almar the whole fuss is that we have people like her in Government, people that confuse religious dogma with reality and logic.

I honestly cannot see where religion enters into the fornication quote.

Fornication is simply sex between unmarried persons. There’s nothing specifically religious about the word itself.

Would it have made a difference if she instead said that casual sex was the leading cause of unwanted pregnancies?

I agree that it was probably not the best word to use, but is it all a fuss about the use of the simple word “fornication”? Has it become the new love that dare not speak its name?

@Al – ur surely having a laugh here?

u don’t see the fuss in an elected representative channeling a 1950’s Irish bishop in a debate trying to end 30 years of inaction by any Irish government to implement a supreme court ruling??

i presume therefore you also agree with the church teachings on contraception – where as we all know the problem is also the fornication – rather than the backward thinking……

any other gems for us? burn the pregnant women at the stake maybe??

Rob – I assure you I am being very serious. Are you??

What on earth is wrong with saying that fornication is the cause of most unwanted pregnancies? It’s a simple statement of fact! This is shown very clearly by the research in this area – most (though not all) unwanted pregnancies that end in abortion are from unmarried women who feel unsupported by the father of the baby.

Now I agree that fornication was not the ideal word to use, perhaps referring to casual sex would have been better.

As for channeling a 1950’s bishop – what nonsense. Fornication is not a religious word, it is an ordinary English word that refers to sex outside of marriage. The word has dropped out of common usage, but that’s hardly Michelle Mulherin’s fault. This is why I think that the phrase “casual sex” or “sex outside of a committed relationship” would have been better.

All this fuss about a simple word, and from those who proclaim themselves to be open minded. If the implications weren’t so serious it would be hilarious.

If we want to ban words used by 1950’s bishops we will have to invent a whole new language I’m afraid.

Mulherin didn’t say that fornication should be banned or stopped or any such thing. She just made a very banal and obvious observation that really does not deserve the attention (much less the absurd and immature vitriol) that has resulted.

As for burning women at the stake, what a ridiculous and immature comment. I don’t know what your point is, but your overblown hyperbole does you no credit.