The Enemy Within

Once more, religious extremists are attacking our liberties.

A senior Vatican cardinal said yesterday that Catholics should stop donating to human rights group Amnesty International because of its new policy advocating abortion rights for women if they had been raped, were a victim of incest or faced health risks.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, accused Amnesty of turning its back on its mission to defend human rights.

There have been increasing moves by Christian zealots to undermine our liberties, aided by the anti-Islamic covering fire provided by the right. While the general public are distracted by the repeated attacks on Islam, the Christian church steps ever closer towards fundamentalism. In recent months they have even threatened elected officials in their attempts to force politicians to criminalise abortion. And while these zealots continue to threaten our democracy, how does the right respond? With a noticeable silence. Perhaps our liberties and democracy aren't that important after all.