From http://cathnews.com/cathnews/16378-european-parliament-rejects-notion-of-abortion-as-human-right
The rejection of the report affirms the ability of the individual
nations in the European Union to promote their own approach to sexual
education and abortion policies.
'The formulation and
implementation of policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights
and on sex education in schools is a competence of the member states,'
stated the European People's Party and the European Conservatives and
Reformists Group, two groups within the European Parliament who
presented an alternative report that passed by a vote of 334 to 327,
with 35 members abstaining from the vote.
The rejected report,
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, had been submitted by Edite
Estrela, a European Parliamentarian from Portugal, intended to establish
abortion 'as a human rights and public health concern' in the EU.
As
a result of this view of abortion as a right, the report sought to
expand abortion in all countries of the EU and restrict 'obstacles to
the access of appropriate services' such as conscientious objection,
waiting periods, pro-life counseling, and religious hospitals' ability
to refuse to perform certain 'sexual health' procedures such as
abortion.
Estrela's report also called for the provision of
'sufficient funding for the broad (sexual and reproductive health and
rights) agenda in all appropriate instruments' throughout the European
Union.
Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Priest quit Mater board over right to religious ethos
From http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/priest-quit-mater-board-over-right-to-religious-ethos-29637492.html
He maintains the Dublin hospital should have said no to carrying out terminations on women who were suicidal, because the direct taking of life is prohibited under the Mater's ethical code.
He believes the hospital's authorities should have defied Minister for Health James Reilly, refused to comply, and faced the consequences.
And he accused the minister of having a lack of respect for Catholic hospitals' religious beliefs.
Said Fr Doran: "The day the act was published in its final form, he said he did not see a problem with Catholic hospitals. He said no hospital in receipt of State funding could opt out and that while an individual could have their right to conscience, an institution couldn't.
"In doing so, he was setting at nought the whole possibility of an organisation having an ethos, be it Catholic, Church of Ireland, Quaker, be it a hospital or a school.
"He was basically saying 'if we pay you, we own you. We make the rules and irrespective of your ethos, you keep our rules'."
He said the "hardline" attitude fails to recognise that the original investment of resources over the years into the Mater was by the original founders, the Sisters of Mercy.
Fr Doran, administrator of the Sacred Heart church in Donnybrook, Dublin, said Minister Reilly has failed to realise the issue is "not an exercise in accountancy".
"For many years, the church and State have worked together in partnership on healthcare, education and social services," he said. "The present Minister for Health showed he had very little respect for the ethos of Catholic hospitals, making the statement that he made.
"Ireland is not a secular State, it is a pluralist society in which people are entitled to freedom of religion and it is perfectly legitimate for people like the Sisters of Mercy to engage in partnership in healthcare with the State and expect their values to be respected, in the same way as values of civil society are respected."
THE priest who resigned from a Catholic hospital board after it confirmed it would comply with new abortion laws has said he did so because he believes a religious organisation has a right to an ethos.
Fr Kevin Doran said he stepped down from Dublin's Mater Hospital board of directors and governors in protest last week "as a matter of conscience".He maintains the Dublin hospital should have said no to carrying out terminations on women who were suicidal, because the direct taking of life is prohibited under the Mater's ethical code.
He believes the hospital's authorities should have defied Minister for Health James Reilly, refused to comply, and faced the consequences.
And he accused the minister of having a lack of respect for Catholic hospitals' religious beliefs.
Said Fr Doran: "The day the act was published in its final form, he said he did not see a problem with Catholic hospitals. He said no hospital in receipt of State funding could opt out and that while an individual could have their right to conscience, an institution couldn't.
"In doing so, he was setting at nought the whole possibility of an organisation having an ethos, be it Catholic, Church of Ireland, Quaker, be it a hospital or a school.
"He was basically saying 'if we pay you, we own you. We make the rules and irrespective of your ethos, you keep our rules'."
He said the "hardline" attitude fails to recognise that the original investment of resources over the years into the Mater was by the original founders, the Sisters of Mercy.
Fr Doran, administrator of the Sacred Heart church in Donnybrook, Dublin, said Minister Reilly has failed to realise the issue is "not an exercise in accountancy".
"For many years, the church and State have worked together in partnership on healthcare, education and social services," he said. "The present Minister for Health showed he had very little respect for the ethos of Catholic hospitals, making the statement that he made.
"Ireland is not a secular State, it is a pluralist society in which people are entitled to freedom of religion and it is perfectly legitimate for people like the Sisters of Mercy to engage in partnership in healthcare with the State and expect their values to be respected, in the same way as values of civil society are respected."
Fr
Doran said he never had any issue of providing medical treatment to
save a mother, even if it unintentionally caused an unborn's death.
His only concern was around Section 9 of the Protection of Life in Pregnancy Bill, which allows abortion in cases where there is a real risk of the mother committing suicide.
"The
key issue for me is the provision in Section 9 where there can be a
direct intervention to terminate a life to possibly save a woman from
committing suicide. It is the direct taking of a human life as distinct
of the loss of a life of an unborn as a side-effect of a treatment. The
Catholic ethos does not permit the direct taking of life. The principal
is you may never deliberately do evil so that good may come about."
He said he was "surprised and disappointed" the Mater issued an "unqualified" statement.
"It
specifically indicated a willingness to abide by the terms of the
Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act in an unqualified way.
"It
was reasonable enough that I should expect a Catholic hospital, which
has in its ethical code a specific prohibition against direct abortion,
would have problems with the Act.
"I would be a
hypocrite, that's what it boiled down to. As a priest, had I continued
to be a member of the board in light of [that] statement, I would
undermine the confidence of people in the church's teaching ministry.
"I
am sad to end it in this way, having worked with he Mater for 10 years.
I wrote in my resignation, which was graciously accepted, I don't bear
any kind of resentment."
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Irish Catholic hospital overrules objections and decides to comply with abortion law
From http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/mater-hospital-to-comply-with-legislation-1.1539781
The Mater Hospital in Dublin has said it will comply with the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013.
In
a brief statement issued yesterday the hospital said it would comply
with the Act, which sets out the circumstances where a termination of
pregnancy may be performed.
The statement says:
“The Mater Hospital has carefully considered the Act. The Hospital’s
priority is to be at the frontier of compassion, concern and clinical
care for all our patients. Having regard to that duty, the Hospital will
comply with the law as provided for in the act.”
The hospital’s compliance with the
legislation came into question during the summer when a member of its
board of directors said it could “not comply” with the legislation as it
ran counter to its Catholic ethos. Fr Kevin Doran,
who sits on both the board of directors and the board of governors
would not comment this afternoon on the hospital’s decision or his
future involvement in it.
The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is a Catholic voluntary hospital and was founded by the Sisters
of Mercy in 1861. In its mission statement, the hospital says that by
caring for the sick, “we participate in the healing ministry of Jesus
Christ”.
Though it is named in the Act as one of
25 “appropriate institutions” for the termination of pregnancy, Fr Doran
said during the summer: “The Mater can’t carry out abortions because it
goes against its ethos. I would be very concerned that the Minister
[for Health, James Reilly] sees fit to make it impossible for hospitals
to have their own ethos.
“The issue is broader
than just abortion. What’s happening is the Minister is saying hospitals
are not entitled to have an ethos.”
A spokesman
said the hospital’s board and management had consulted “widely across
the hospital” since the enactment of the legislation in July. The issue
had also been discussed at board level.
When
asked yesterday about the hospital’s decision, Fr Doran said: “I’m not
going to comment on anything. This has just happened.”
Asked
if he was going to remain on as a member of the hospital’s boards of
governors and directors, again said: “I am not going to comment on
anything.”
He had said in August that if the
hospital were to decide to comply with the legislation he assumed there
“would be very serious discussion between the Archbishop [of Dublin Dr
Diarmuid Martin] and the management of the hospital.”
The Mater hospital is a single-member company.
Its parent company is the Mater Misericordiae and the Children’s University Hospitals (Temple St) Ltd.
Its
website says the majority of the members of the parent company are
Sisters of Mercy and the remaining members represent the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, the Catholic Nurses’ Guild of Ireland,
the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the medical consultants of Mater
Misericordiae University Hospital and the Children’s University
Hospital.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Abortion Rights Activists Vandalize Cathedral in Chile
CNA July 26, 2013:
Abortion activists interrupted Mass at the Cathedral of the Chilean capital Santiago the evening of July 25, destroying confessionals and defaming several side altars with blasphemous graffiti.
“We were celebrating the feast of St. James the Apostle, with the mayor in attendance, and offering thanks to so many Catholics who serve the public, in an atmosphere of peace and recollection when protestors suddenly came in,” said Bishop Pedro Ossandón Buljevic, an auxiliary bishop of the Santiago de Chile archdiocese.
“The truth is that we are always for dialogue, for civilized debate. We believe in the God-given gift of reason.”
“Therefore we invite everyone to protest in whichever way they wish, but that they do so with respect for the law, for democracy, and the for the dignity of others.”
Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello was saying Mass on the eve of the feast of St. James, the city's patron and namesake, when the activists unexpectedly stormed the cathedral at the conclusion of a pro-abortion march.
Abortion is illegal in Chile, even in cases of rape. Of the country's population, around 85 percent is Christian.
The current government opposes liberalization of abortion access. Last year, Chile's senate rejected three bills easing the absolute ban, the Associated Press reports.
The faithful present at the Mass, including Santiago’s mayor, Carolina Toha, prevented the activists from reaching the main altar.
With help from the faithful, police who in riot gear were able to remove the protestors from the cathedral, dispersing the crowd outside as well, and making several arrests. The protestors had barricaded themselves in with pews.
Isabel Carcamo of the Right to Choose organization told CNN Chile that although she was present during the incident and understood “the people’s anger” against the Church because abortion is not legal in the country, she did not agree with the violent attack.
The protests came ahead of a presidential election, to be held in November.
Bishop Ossandón commented, “at this time when Chile is getting ready to choose candidates for the presidency and for congress, let us all please respect the rule of law.”
Chilean president Sebastian Pinera said the vandalism was "not respecting that rights of others" and that "they're not tolerant and are contradicting their own views."
The protestors destroyed a confessional and spray-painted blasphemies on side altars and statues, such as “Mary wanted to abort” and “abortion is the best.”
Police said charges would be filed against several protestors for destroying a national monument. Church officials said they would also file a lawsuit against those responsible for the vandalism.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Seanad passes abortion legislation second stage
From http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0716/462785-seanad-abortion/
The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill has passed the second stage in the Seanad by 42 votes to 14.
It will go to committee stage tomorrow.
Fine Gael Senators Fidelma Healy Eames and Paul Bradford voted against the bill.
Earlier, Ms Eames said it was with "a heavy heart" that she could not support the bill.
Ms Healy Eames said she did not want to lose the Fine Gael party whip, however she said she wanted to exercise her human right to make a conscientious decision.
Speaking during the debate on the bill in the Seanad, she said she had been a committed member of Fine Gael for many years.
She added that it was the party that made "a solemn promise to voters not to legislate for abortion".
It saddened her greatly that Fine Gael had broken the promise, she said. Fine
Gael Senator Paul Bradford said most in Fine Gael did not think they
would come to the stage in their political lives that the party would be
"bringing abortion legislation" before the Oireachtas.
He said it went against the very fabric of the party and goes against what was said before and during Fine Gael's general election campaign.
Senator Bradford said it was "disturbing" to hear ministers saying it was a commitment in the Programme for Government.
He said political scholars in the near future will examine the make-up of the expert group, the terms of reference and the fact its hands were tied and see that the legislation was a "done political deal".
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil Senator Terry Leydon said the title of the bill was inaccurate and said it should be titled "Abortion Bill 2013".
He said he would vote no to the "blatant abortion bill", which he said would legalise abortion without regard to the viability of the unborn.
Senator Jillian Van Turnhout raised a number of concerns about the bill.
She said the legislation is silent about the access of medical treatment for girls in State care and requested distinct legislation clarifying consent where a patient is under 16.
Despite reservations, Ms Van Turnhout confirmed she would support the bill.
Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power said "it's ridiculous" that former minister Lucinda Creighton had to resign from her position over the bill.
Senator Power said no member should be forced to vote against their conscience on such an issue.
Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone said the anti-abortion cause has been undermined by the actions of some.
She said while public discourse is welcome, some tactics had resulted in some members becoming more resolute in their decision to vote for the legislation.
Fianna Fáil Senator Peter O'Brien recalled campaigns in the 1980s, saying they were "nasty" and he welcomed how the "country has moved on".
Labour Senator Jimmy Harte congratulated the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste for introducing the legislation, claiming that Fianna Fáil was always "looking down the road" at the reaction of the church.
Mr Harte said women had not been respected by the Catholic Church for thousands of years.
He said the 50% of the country who are male should not be talking about this issue, saying it was a matter for women.
Fianna Fáil Senator Paschal Mooney took issue with that comment.
He questioned why men should be "completely ignored", given that they help create the unborn.
Fianna Fáil Senator Denis O'Donovan confirmed that he would not be supporting the bill.
He said his decision came following a meeting with the Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Dr Sam Coulter Smith.
It will go to committee stage tomorrow.
Fine Gael Senators Fidelma Healy Eames and Paul Bradford voted against the bill.
Earlier, Ms Eames said it was with "a heavy heart" that she could not support the bill.
Ms Healy Eames said she did not want to lose the Fine Gael party whip, however she said she wanted to exercise her human right to make a conscientious decision.
Speaking during the debate on the bill in the Seanad, she said she had been a committed member of Fine Gael for many years.
She added that it was the party that made "a solemn promise to voters not to legislate for abortion".
It saddened her greatly that Fine Gael had broken the promise, she said.
He said it went against the very fabric of the party and goes against what was said before and during Fine Gael's general election campaign.
Senator Bradford said it was "disturbing" to hear ministers saying it was a commitment in the Programme for Government.
He said political scholars in the near future will examine the make-up of the expert group, the terms of reference and the fact its hands were tied and see that the legislation was a "done political deal".
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil Senator Terry Leydon said the title of the bill was inaccurate and said it should be titled "Abortion Bill 2013".
He said he would vote no to the "blatant abortion bill", which he said would legalise abortion without regard to the viability of the unborn.
Senator Jillian Van Turnhout raised a number of concerns about the bill.
She said the legislation is silent about the access of medical treatment for girls in State care and requested distinct legislation clarifying consent where a patient is under 16.
Despite reservations, Ms Van Turnhout confirmed she would support the bill.
Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power said "it's ridiculous" that former minister Lucinda Creighton had to resign from her position over the bill.
Senator Power said no member should be forced to vote against their conscience on such an issue.
Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone said the anti-abortion cause has been undermined by the actions of some.
She said while public discourse is welcome, some tactics had resulted in some members becoming more resolute in their decision to vote for the legislation.
Fianna Fáil Senator Peter O'Brien recalled campaigns in the 1980s, saying they were "nasty" and he welcomed how the "country has moved on".
Labour Senator Jimmy Harte congratulated the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste for introducing the legislation, claiming that Fianna Fáil was always "looking down the road" at the reaction of the church.
Mr Harte said women had not been respected by the Catholic Church for thousands of years.
He said the 50% of the country who are male should not be talking about this issue, saying it was a matter for women.
Fianna Fáil Senator Paschal Mooney took issue with that comment.
He questioned why men should be "completely ignored", given that they help create the unborn.
Fianna Fáil Senator Denis O'Donovan confirmed that he would not be supporting the bill.
He said his decision came following a meeting with the Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Dr Sam Coulter Smith.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Ireland legalizes abortion
CWN - July 12, 2013
In the early hours of July 12, following a marathon debate, the
Irish parliament voted 127-31 in favor of the Protection of Life During
Pregnancy Bill, which legalizes abortion in some circumstances,
including when the mother says she is suicidal. Only five members of
the majority Fine Gael party broke ranks with Prime Minister Enda
Kelly, who did not permit a conscience vote on the issue. In doing so,
the five were automatically expelled from the party. One of the
five, Lucinda Creighton, 33, resigned from her post as Ireland’s
European affairs minister. “I think compromise is essential to any
coalition,” she said. “I feel we've compromised on economic issues,
social policy, and so on. But when it comes to something that is a
matter of life and death, at least as far as I'm concerned it is, I
think it's not really possible to compromise.” In addition, Sinn
Féin, Ireland’s fourth-largest party, suspended a lawmaker who voted
against the bill.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Abortion in Ireland
From http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2013/06/abortion-in-ireland
The “Night of the Big Wind” is still the stuff of folklore in Ireland. On January 6, 1839, an unexpected hurricane slammed into the Emerald Isle from the North Atlantic, decimating neighborhoods from County Mayo to Dublin and becoming the worst storm ever recorded in Irish history. Waves were said to have crashed over Ireland’s towering Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. Perhaps most striking was the weather pattern in the run-up to the storm: an unexpectedly strong snowfall on January 5 followed by a warm front on the Epiphany, colliding with a second cold front that would produce the first of the hurricane-force winds.
The present political uproar over abortion law in Ireland—one of only three western European nations, together with Poland and Malta, which continue to ban the practice—seems to have arrived with similar ferocity. The warning signs, however, are decades-old.
Ireland has been “abortion-free,” as pro-life group Youth Defence calls it, for as long as anyone can remember. The illegality of abortion has been codified in some form since 1861, and in 1983 the Constitution of Ireland was explicitly amended by the public to guarantee the equal right to life of the mother and the unborn child. The measure passed with sixty-seven percent of the vote in a decade when abortion restrictions were being repealed all around the world.
Since then, global abortion rights organizations have aggressively targeted the island nation. The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), associated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, violated Irish law repeatedly in the 1990s—most recently advising women to hide their abortions from authorities, putting women’s lives in danger in the event of postoperative complications. And several thousand women receive assistance each year to seek abortions overseas in Great Britain, though the proportion of Irish women who receive abortions is dwarfed by the abortion rate in the United Kingdom and the Unites States.
Meanwhile, Ireland has maintained one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world. It is safer to be an expectant mother in pro-life Ireland than pro-choice America or Britain.
Ireland’s experience contradicts the “legal abortion makes pregnancy safer” logic, which perhaps explains why the pro-abortion movement has had its eyes trained on Ireland for so long. Ireland is an example of a healthcare system where the rights of both the baby and the mother are upheld equally—to the detriment of no one.
The next chapter of the abortion debate unfolded in 1992, when the Irish Supreme Court ruled that women had the right to an abortion if the mother’s life was imperiled by the pregnancy. Known as the “X case,” the decision sparked an ongoing debate about how to interpret the legislative mandate from the court, with successive governments reluctant to touch the issue for fear of upsetting the public.
The attack on pro-life Ireland resumed with a vengeance in 2005, when three women accused Ireland of violating their basic rights under the European Convention on Human Rights by prohibiting abortion. A, B and C v. Ireland, as the case was known, was a major pro-life victory. In its ruling, the European Court of Human Rights threw out the notion that abortion was a fundamental human right.
The latest uproar, which threatens to finally overthrow the pro-life consensus in Ireland, stems from the case of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian woman who miscarried and died of sepsis during her pregnancy in Galway. The case has become the rallying cry of abortion rights supporters, who maintain (along with Savita’s husband) that her OB/GYN, Dr. Katherine Astbury, refused to provide her with a life-saving abortion. In response, Prime Minister Enda Kenny has proposed a bill that would “clarify” the abortion statute in Ireland, making a clear exception in the constitutional ban for cases of maternal health and including an unrelated provision allowing for suicide as a reason for seeking terminating the pregnancy.
The problem is that the legislation is redundant at best and a Trojan horse at worst. Abortion is already permitted when the attending physician deems the pregnancy a threat to the mother’s life. In fact, once the diagnosis of life-threatening sepsis came, an abortion was planned by Dr. Astbury. The problem was that the diagnosis came a day too late. As Eilis O’Hanlon of the Independent summarized, “It is clear that Savita died because she had severe sepsis which was not properly treated; an earlier abortion may have saved her life, but the reason she did not get one was because doctors failed to ascertain that her life was in danger.”
This hasn’t stopped Kenny, who continues to insist he is a pro-life politician working to bring “clarity” to the law. Never mind that the organization representing Ireland’s doctors feels that the law is unnecessary, and never mind that countless medical experts have testified that abortion can compound the risk for women contemplating suicide.
The result, whether Kenny intends it or not, will mean a fatal break in the Irish pro-life consensus. The suicide loophole, which allows a woman to have an abortion if she receives the approval of three doctors, will quickly be exploited when information spreads regarding who the doctors sympathetic to the pro-choice cause are (see the similar case of New Zealand). And, within no time at all, Ireland will have de facto abortion on demand.
But as opposition has grown, Kenny has hunkered down—realizing that the legislation has become a referendum on his government. He’s forbidden members of his party, Fine Gael, from voting their conscience on the bill, slated for a vote this summer. All the while, public opinion has held remarkably steady on the basic question of abortion. As of mid-2013 only thirty-nine percent of those polled supported abortion on demand, indicating little movement since 1983.
Despite this, today a majority of the Irish public supports Kenny’s bill, swayed by the Savita case—not to mention other factors chipping away at the pro-life position for years, like the eroding influence of the Roman Catholic Church. What the public fails to see, however, is that the bill is only the first front in a long-planned, well-coordinated storm.
The “Night of the Big Wind” is still the stuff of folklore in Ireland. On January 6, 1839, an unexpected hurricane slammed into the Emerald Isle from the North Atlantic, decimating neighborhoods from County Mayo to Dublin and becoming the worst storm ever recorded in Irish history. Waves were said to have crashed over Ireland’s towering Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. Perhaps most striking was the weather pattern in the run-up to the storm: an unexpectedly strong snowfall on January 5 followed by a warm front on the Epiphany, colliding with a second cold front that would produce the first of the hurricane-force winds.
The present political uproar over abortion law in Ireland—one of only three western European nations, together with Poland and Malta, which continue to ban the practice—seems to have arrived with similar ferocity. The warning signs, however, are decades-old.
Ireland has been “abortion-free,” as pro-life group Youth Defence calls it, for as long as anyone can remember. The illegality of abortion has been codified in some form since 1861, and in 1983 the Constitution of Ireland was explicitly amended by the public to guarantee the equal right to life of the mother and the unborn child. The measure passed with sixty-seven percent of the vote in a decade when abortion restrictions were being repealed all around the world.
Since then, global abortion rights organizations have aggressively targeted the island nation. The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), associated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, violated Irish law repeatedly in the 1990s—most recently advising women to hide their abortions from authorities, putting women’s lives in danger in the event of postoperative complications. And several thousand women receive assistance each year to seek abortions overseas in Great Britain, though the proportion of Irish women who receive abortions is dwarfed by the abortion rate in the United Kingdom and the Unites States.
Meanwhile, Ireland has maintained one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world. It is safer to be an expectant mother in pro-life Ireland than pro-choice America or Britain.
Ireland’s experience contradicts the “legal abortion makes pregnancy safer” logic, which perhaps explains why the pro-abortion movement has had its eyes trained on Ireland for so long. Ireland is an example of a healthcare system where the rights of both the baby and the mother are upheld equally—to the detriment of no one.
The next chapter of the abortion debate unfolded in 1992, when the Irish Supreme Court ruled that women had the right to an abortion if the mother’s life was imperiled by the pregnancy. Known as the “X case,” the decision sparked an ongoing debate about how to interpret the legislative mandate from the court, with successive governments reluctant to touch the issue for fear of upsetting the public.
The attack on pro-life Ireland resumed with a vengeance in 2005, when three women accused Ireland of violating their basic rights under the European Convention on Human Rights by prohibiting abortion. A, B and C v. Ireland, as the case was known, was a major pro-life victory. In its ruling, the European Court of Human Rights threw out the notion that abortion was a fundamental human right.
The latest uproar, which threatens to finally overthrow the pro-life consensus in Ireland, stems from the case of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian woman who miscarried and died of sepsis during her pregnancy in Galway. The case has become the rallying cry of abortion rights supporters, who maintain (along with Savita’s husband) that her OB/GYN, Dr. Katherine Astbury, refused to provide her with a life-saving abortion. In response, Prime Minister Enda Kenny has proposed a bill that would “clarify” the abortion statute in Ireland, making a clear exception in the constitutional ban for cases of maternal health and including an unrelated provision allowing for suicide as a reason for seeking terminating the pregnancy.
The problem is that the legislation is redundant at best and a Trojan horse at worst. Abortion is already permitted when the attending physician deems the pregnancy a threat to the mother’s life. In fact, once the diagnosis of life-threatening sepsis came, an abortion was planned by Dr. Astbury. The problem was that the diagnosis came a day too late. As Eilis O’Hanlon of the Independent summarized, “It is clear that Savita died because she had severe sepsis which was not properly treated; an earlier abortion may have saved her life, but the reason she did not get one was because doctors failed to ascertain that her life was in danger.”
This hasn’t stopped Kenny, who continues to insist he is a pro-life politician working to bring “clarity” to the law. Never mind that the organization representing Ireland’s doctors feels that the law is unnecessary, and never mind that countless medical experts have testified that abortion can compound the risk for women contemplating suicide.
The result, whether Kenny intends it or not, will mean a fatal break in the Irish pro-life consensus. The suicide loophole, which allows a woman to have an abortion if she receives the approval of three doctors, will quickly be exploited when information spreads regarding who the doctors sympathetic to the pro-choice cause are (see the similar case of New Zealand). And, within no time at all, Ireland will have de facto abortion on demand.
But as opposition has grown, Kenny has hunkered down—realizing that the legislation has become a referendum on his government. He’s forbidden members of his party, Fine Gael, from voting their conscience on the bill, slated for a vote this summer. All the while, public opinion has held remarkably steady on the basic question of abortion. As of mid-2013 only thirty-nine percent of those polled supported abortion on demand, indicating little movement since 1983.
Despite this, today a majority of the Irish public supports Kenny’s bill, swayed by the Savita case—not to mention other factors chipping away at the pro-life position for years, like the eroding influence of the Roman Catholic Church. What the public fails to see, however, is that the bill is only the first front in a long-planned, well-coordinated storm.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Pro Life Campaign condemns Taoiseach’s ‘disgusting attempt to demonise pro-life movement’
From http://prolifecampaign.ie/?page_id=3073
The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has rejected the Taoiseach's latest reference to alleged intimidating or unpleasant contact from people concerned about the Government's abortioon proposal, saying he is out to demonise the pro-life movement.
“It’s interesting that the last time the Taoiseach complained of harassing or unpleasant behaviour was just after the highly successful Unite for Life vigil in January, said PLC spokesperson Cora Sherlock. “Now the Taoiseach is making lurid claims again – just after the largest ever pro-life demonstration in Ireland, the National Vigil for Life last Saturday.”
“This is nothing more than spin designed to distract from the Bill. It’s a disgusting attempt to demonise the pro-life movement rather than debate the proposed legislation”, Ms Sherlock said.
“We remind him that pro-life people also suffer harassment. Only last week people at the Pro Life Campaign received death threats. Instead of issuing a press release, we reported it to the Gardai and we would encourage the Taoiseach to do likewise. That way, he is not putting ideas into the heads of other disturbed people who might piggyback on this or any other campaign.
“We believe that the Taoiseach is trying to make capital out of this situation, to distract from his highly dangerous and unjust abortion proposal. We remind him that the real victims here are the unborn children who will be vulnerable to abortion on request – and some at a late term of pregnancy – on the basis of a threat of suicide. And the mothers, some of whom will suffer negative mental health consequences in the future as a result of their abortion.
"The Government is also trying to confuse people into thinking that the proposed abortion legislation is restrictive," Ms. Sherlock said.
“The Taoiseach claimed today that the number of children who will lose their lives every year will not rise above the 30 who die as a result of necessary medical interventions. Is he saying that no abortions will take place on the suicide ground? Who is advising him to say this and do they have any respect for the truth?” Ms Sherlock asked.
Ms Sherlock noted that pro-life Government TDs and Senators had been pressurised by the Taoiseach and his Ministers over the legislation.
“People have been bullied and cajoled, and County Councillors have been drafted in to threaten TDs and Senator that they will lose their political support if they vote against abortion. This is not the right way to pass a law in a democracy. It's time to shout stop."
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Irish Government bring out draft abortion legislation
From http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0430/388858-abortion-legislation/
Ministers have agreed the terms of the proposed Protection of Maternal Life Bill.
RTÉ News has learned that in the case of suicidal ideation, for a woman to be granted a termination of pregnancy, the three consultants reviewing the case must all agree that this should proceed.
There is provision for an appeal by the woman where termination of pregnancy is not approved by the first three doctors.
That appeal would be to three other consultants.
The appeal panel of three doctors must also be unanimous in approval for a termination to be granted under law.
The procedures mean that in the case of suicide threat, a woman could have six doctors reviewing her application.
The full details of the legislation are due to be published later this evening.
One Cabinet source said there had been substantial changes to the measures.
They told RTÉ News that it was a very different Bill to the legislation described in earlier media reports.
Some Fine Gael sources said they were hopeful that backbenchers with misgivings about including the risk of suicide as grounds for abortion might think differently when they see the terms of the legislation. The Cabinet resumed its talks on the legislation this evening after an adjournment this afternoon.
The adjournment came after what Cabinet sources described as a lengthy discussion of the legislation.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny denied there were any problems at Cabinet with the legislation and ministers dealt with 28 items this morning.
He earlier said it was the Government's intention to have the heads of the bill sent to the Oireachtas Health Committee after approval today.
It is now 21 years since the Supreme Court judgment in the X Case, which found that abortion was legal under the Constitution, if there was a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother.
The court held that this included the threat of suicide.
The draft heads will go for detailed discussion in the Oireachtas Health Committee, before the actual legislation is drawn up and introduced in the Dáil.
There is significant opposition to the measure within Fine Gael, with several TDs and Senators likely to defy the party whip on the issue.
Mr Kenny has urged opponents to study the wording, and contribute to the debate, before coming to a final decision.
RTÉ News has learned that in the case of suicidal ideation, for a woman to be granted a termination of pregnancy, the three consultants reviewing the case must all agree that this should proceed.
There is provision for an appeal by the woman where termination of pregnancy is not approved by the first three doctors.
That appeal would be to three other consultants.
The appeal panel of three doctors must also be unanimous in approval for a termination to be granted under law.
The procedures mean that in the case of suicide threat, a woman could have six doctors reviewing her application.
The full details of the legislation are due to be published later this evening.
One Cabinet source said there had been substantial changes to the measures.
They told RTÉ News that it was a very different Bill to the legislation described in earlier media reports.
Some Fine Gael sources said they were hopeful that backbenchers with misgivings about including the risk of suicide as grounds for abortion might think differently when they see the terms of the legislation.
The adjournment came after what Cabinet sources described as a lengthy discussion of the legislation.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny denied there were any problems at Cabinet with the legislation and ministers dealt with 28 items this morning.
He earlier said it was the Government's intention to have the heads of the bill sent to the Oireachtas Health Committee after approval today.
It is now 21 years since the Supreme Court judgment in the X Case, which found that abortion was legal under the Constitution, if there was a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother.
The court held that this included the threat of suicide.
The draft heads will go for detailed discussion in the Oireachtas Health Committee, before the actual legislation is drawn up and introduced in the Dáil.
There is significant opposition to the measure within Fine Gael, with several TDs and Senators likely to defy the party whip on the issue.
Mr Kenny has urged opponents to study the wording, and contribute to the debate, before coming to a final decision.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
TD's call for 'sunset clause' in abortion legislation
From http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0414/381311-abortion-laws/
There
has been a call from a number of Fine Gael TDs to include a "sunset
clause" in the planned legislation that will deal with the X case.
The proposal, first made in a letter to the Taoiseach by Cork North West deputy Michael Creed, would allow for the legislation on abortion to be reviewed after a number of years.
If it had led to an "opening of the floodgates" then the law could be looked at again, Mr Creed wrote in a letter released to RTÉ News under the Freedom of Information Act.
The call has been backed by Junior Minister Lucinda Creighton who said it was constructive and sensible and should be considered by Cabinet.
Cork South West TD Jim Daly said he met with the Taoiseach recently to urge him to accept this clause.
He added that it was a popular proposal and would ensure that abortion would not become widely available here.
Fine Gael TD for Mayo John O'Mahony also said he would welcome such a clause. Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said he has no objection to the planned legislation being reviewed in a few years.
However, he said he did not believe a "sunset clause" was required.
The proposal, first made in a letter to the Taoiseach by Cork North West deputy Michael Creed, would allow for the legislation on abortion to be reviewed after a number of years.
If it had led to an "opening of the floodgates" then the law could be looked at again, Mr Creed wrote in a letter released to RTÉ News under the Freedom of Information Act.
The call has been backed by Junior Minister Lucinda Creighton who said it was constructive and sensible and should be considered by Cabinet.
Cork South West TD Jim Daly said he met with the Taoiseach recently to urge him to accept this clause.
He added that it was a popular proposal and would ensure that abortion would not become widely available here.
Fine Gael TD for Mayo John O'Mahony also said he would welcome such a clause.
However, he said he did not believe a "sunset clause" was required.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Priest says modern slave trade rooted in abortion, contraception
From http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/priest-says-modern-slave-trade-rooted-in-abortion-contraception/
.
Unprecedented rates of human trafficking can be traced to the rise of abortion, contraception and pornography in modern culture, says a Catholic priest who has researched the topic for nearly a decade.
“There are more people trafficked now in the 21st century than in the transatlantic slave trade in the 17th, the 18th, or the 19th century,” Denver priest Fr. David Nix said at a local Theology on Tap address on Feb. 18.
Today an estimated 27 million people are enslaved, 800,000 of whom are trafficked across international borders for the purpose of sexual exploitation and 2 million of whom are children.
When he first began researching the issue, Fr. Nix said he thought that abortion and contraception “facilitated” modern-day slavery. However, after researching the FBI’s resources on sex-slavery, he realized that “trafficking is founded upon contraception.”
The account he read cited a 2004 story from The New York Times which detailed a police raid on a suburban home in Plainfield, N.J. Acting on a tip, the city police raided the home expecting to find an underground brothel.
Instead, they found girls ages 14 to 17 who were Mexican nationals with no documentation living in what was described as a “squalid, land-based equivalent of a 19th century slave ship, with rancid, doorless bathrooms; bare, putrid mattresses; and a stash of penicillin, 'morning after' pills and misoprostol, an antiulcer medication that can induce abortion.”
“Honestly, whose life do you think is made easier by the morning after pill: the 14 year-old girl who is taken ten or twenty times a night, or her 40 year-old trafficker?” Fr. Nix asked the crowd.
“Contraception and abortion,” he told CNA in a later interview, “are the new slave ships upon which children are trafficked.”
Along with contraception and abortion, Fr. Nix said pornography is the one of the other “rails” of modern-day slavery. Although, “porn is the demand” he said, “children are the supply, even if you’re looking at adults.”
While not everyone who looks at pornography will be lead to the child sex trade, Fr. Nix says the industry is so interconnected that no aspect of it is isolated from the other. If a consumer supports one part, he or she is contributing to the entire issue at large.
“Every time you look at pornography,” Fr. Nix stated, “you’re making sure children stay in slavery.”
As disturbing as this issue is, Fr. Nix said he fears that Catholics will “miss the boat” in working to abolish this slave trade as he says they did in the 19th century.
“Who ended the slave trade?” he asked. “We think of people like William Wilburforce,” the English politician who helped lead the abolitionist movement.
Evangelical and Protestant groups, Fr. Nix pointed out, have had more success in freeing victims from slavery than any government organizations, as the award-winning 2011 documentary, “Nefarious,” details.
This is not because Christian groups are “better at what they do,” but rather because “only the Cross of Christ can go as deep as those wounds.”
This is because “the shame of a girl who has been raped tens of thousands of times by the time she is 15 years-old is nothing money or education can fix.”
However, Fr. Nix said, without the Catholic Church, they will not be able to end trafficking.
Although Catholics “have so much to learn from evangelicals on this topic,” he said, “they won’t be able to beat trafficking until we bring them the Mass and Our Lady.”
The Mass is essential, the priest said, because it “makes un-bloody reparation for this bloody child-sacrifice that is demon-based.”
The intercession of the Virgin Mary is needed, he explained, because “whatever she asks – God gives!”
During the time of Lent, Catholics should devote their sacrifices to the end of human trafficking and abortion, especially while meditating on Christ’s Passion since he was also “trafficked.”
“He was handed over by a friend, put in a basement, had his body abused in a different way, and finally left for dead outside the city limit like so many kids in Asia,” Fr. Nix said.
Fr. Nix said along with prayer, people can get involved by being aware of and reporting any suspicious behavior, even in their own home towns, to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888.
.
Unprecedented rates of human trafficking can be traced to the rise of abortion, contraception and pornography in modern culture, says a Catholic priest who has researched the topic for nearly a decade.
“There are more people trafficked now in the 21st century than in the transatlantic slave trade in the 17th, the 18th, or the 19th century,” Denver priest Fr. David Nix said at a local Theology on Tap address on Feb. 18.
Today an estimated 27 million people are enslaved, 800,000 of whom are trafficked across international borders for the purpose of sexual exploitation and 2 million of whom are children.
When he first began researching the issue, Fr. Nix said he thought that abortion and contraception “facilitated” modern-day slavery. However, after researching the FBI’s resources on sex-slavery, he realized that “trafficking is founded upon contraception.”
The account he read cited a 2004 story from The New York Times which detailed a police raid on a suburban home in Plainfield, N.J. Acting on a tip, the city police raided the home expecting to find an underground brothel.
Instead, they found girls ages 14 to 17 who were Mexican nationals with no documentation living in what was described as a “squalid, land-based equivalent of a 19th century slave ship, with rancid, doorless bathrooms; bare, putrid mattresses; and a stash of penicillin, 'morning after' pills and misoprostol, an antiulcer medication that can induce abortion.”
“Honestly, whose life do you think is made easier by the morning after pill: the 14 year-old girl who is taken ten or twenty times a night, or her 40 year-old trafficker?” Fr. Nix asked the crowd.
“Contraception and abortion,” he told CNA in a later interview, “are the new slave ships upon which children are trafficked.”
Along with contraception and abortion, Fr. Nix said pornography is the one of the other “rails” of modern-day slavery. Although, “porn is the demand” he said, “children are the supply, even if you’re looking at adults.”
While not everyone who looks at pornography will be lead to the child sex trade, Fr. Nix says the industry is so interconnected that no aspect of it is isolated from the other. If a consumer supports one part, he or she is contributing to the entire issue at large.
“Every time you look at pornography,” Fr. Nix stated, “you’re making sure children stay in slavery.”
As disturbing as this issue is, Fr. Nix said he fears that Catholics will “miss the boat” in working to abolish this slave trade as he says they did in the 19th century.
“Who ended the slave trade?” he asked. “We think of people like William Wilburforce,” the English politician who helped lead the abolitionist movement.
Evangelical and Protestant groups, Fr. Nix pointed out, have had more success in freeing victims from slavery than any government organizations, as the award-winning 2011 documentary, “Nefarious,” details.
This is not because Christian groups are “better at what they do,” but rather because “only the Cross of Christ can go as deep as those wounds.”
This is because “the shame of a girl who has been raped tens of thousands of times by the time she is 15 years-old is nothing money or education can fix.”
However, Fr. Nix said, without the Catholic Church, they will not be able to end trafficking.
Although Catholics “have so much to learn from evangelicals on this topic,” he said, “they won’t be able to beat trafficking until we bring them the Mass and Our Lady.”
The Mass is essential, the priest said, because it “makes un-bloody reparation for this bloody child-sacrifice that is demon-based.”
The intercession of the Virgin Mary is needed, he explained, because “whatever she asks – God gives!”
During the time of Lent, Catholics should devote their sacrifices to the end of human trafficking and abortion, especially while meditating on Christ’s Passion since he was also “trafficked.”
“He was handed over by a friend, put in a basement, had his body abused in a different way, and finally left for dead outside the city limit like so many kids in Asia,” Fr. Nix said.
Fr. Nix said along with prayer, people can get involved by being aware of and reporting any suspicious behavior, even in their own home towns, to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
What did the Pope say about abortion yesterday?
From http://www.thejournal.ie/pope-comments-abortion-law-744943-Jan2013/
POPE BENEDICT yesterday criticised legal efforts around the world to decriminalise abortion, ahead of three days of committee hearings in Ireland on proposed new legislation bringing legal clarity to the area.
The pontiff was speaking at a gathering of diplomats accredited to the Holy See when he criticised the proposal of any law which decriminalised abortion, describing such moves as “gravely contrary to the moral law”.
The remarks came in the midst of a lengthy speech, extracts of which were distributed by the Vatican Information Service and which are reproduced below. The passage referring to abortion is emboldened for convenience.
The Catholic Church will be one of six groups to offer input in a two-hour session on Thursday morning, alongside representatives from the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Muslim faiths, and from Atheist Ireland.
POPE BENEDICT yesterday criticised legal efforts around the world to decriminalise abortion, ahead of three days of committee hearings in Ireland on proposed new legislation bringing legal clarity to the area.
The pontiff was speaking at a gathering of diplomats accredited to the Holy See when he criticised the proposal of any law which decriminalised abortion, describing such moves as “gravely contrary to the moral law”.
The remarks came in the midst of a lengthy speech, extracts of which were distributed by the Vatican Information Service and which are reproduced below. The passage referring to abortion is emboldened for convenience.
The Oireachtas health committee today begins three days of hearings on the proposed legislation, hearing input from medical, legal and lobby groups on what should and should not be included in the legislation.Civil and political authorities before all others have a grave responsibility to work for peace. They are the first called to resolve the numerous conflicts causing bloodshed in our human family, beginning with that privileged region in God’s plan, the Middle East. I think first and foremost of Syria, torn apart by endless slaughter and the scene of dreadful suffering among its civilian population. I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the inauguration as quickly as possible of a constructive dialogue aimed at putting an end to a conflict which will know no victors but only vanquished if it continues, leaving behind it nothing but a field of ruins. Your Excellencies, allow me to ask you to continue to make your Governments aware of this, so that essential aid will urgently be made available to face this grave humanitarian situation. I now turn with deep concern towards the Holy Land. Following Palestine’s recognition as a Non-Member Observer State of the United Nations, I again express the hope that, with the support of the international community, Israelis and Palestinians will commit themselves to peaceful coexistence within the framework of two sovereign states, where respect for justice and the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples will be preserved and guaranteed. Jerusalem, become what your name signifies! A city of peace and not of division; a prophecy of the Kingdom of God and not a byword for instability and opposition!
As I turn my thoughts towards the beloved Iraqi people, I express my hope that they will pursue the path of reconciliation in order to arrive at the stability for which they long.
In Lebanon, where last September I met the various groups which make up society, may the many religious traditions there be cultivated by all as a true treasure for the country and for the whole region, and may Christians offer an effective witness for the building of a future of peace, together with all men and women of good will!
In North Africa too, cooperation between all the members of society is of primary concern, and each must be guaranteed full citizenship, the liberty publicly to profess their religion and the ability to contribute to the common good. I assure all Egyptians of my closeness and my prayers at this time when new institutions are being set in place.
Turning to sub-Saharan Africa, I encourage the efforts being made to build peace, especially in those places where the wounds of war remain open and where their grave humanitarian consequences are being felt. I think particularly of the Horn of Africa, and the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where new of acts of violence have erupted, forcing many people to abandon their homes, families and surroundings. Nor can I fail to mention other threats looming on the horizon. Nigeria is regularly the scene of terrorist attacks which reap victims above all among the Christian faithful gathered in prayer, as if hatred intended to turn temples of prayer and peace into places of fear and division. I was deeply saddened to learn that, even in the days when we celebrated Christmas, some Christians were barbarously put to death. Mali is also torn by violence and marked by a profound institutional and social crisis, one which calls for the effective attention of the international community. In the Central African Republic, I hope that the talks announced as taking place shortly will restore stability and spare the people from reliving the throes of civil war.
The building of peace always comes about by the protection of human beings and their fundamental rights. This task, even if carried out in many ways and with varying degrees of intensity, challenges all countries and must constantly be inspired by the transcendent dignity of the human person and the principles inscribed in human nature. Foremost among these is respect for human life at every stage. In this regard, I was gratified that a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in January of last year, called for the prohibition of euthanasia, understood as the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being.
At the same time, I must note with dismay that, in various countries, even those of Christian tradition, efforts are being made to introduce or expand legislation which decriminalizes abortion. Direct abortion, that is to say willed as an end or as a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law. In affirming this, the Catholic Church is not lacking in understanding and mercy, also towards the mother involved. Rather, it is a question of being vigilant lest the law unjustly alter the balance between the right to life of the mother and that of the unborn child, a right belonging equally to both. In this area, the recent decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding in vitro fertilization, which arbitrarily redefines the moment of conception and weakens the defence of unborn life, is also a source of concern.
The European Union also requires far-sighted representatives capable of making the difficult choices necessary to rectify its economy and to lay solid foundations for growth. Alone, certain countries may perhaps advance more quickly, but together, all will certainly go further! If the differential index between financial taxes represents a source of concern, the increasing differences between those few who grow ever richer and the many who grow hopelessly poorer, should be a cause for dismay. In a word, it is a question of refusing to be resigned to a ‘spread’ in social well-being, while at the same time fighting one in the financial sector.
Investment in education in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America means helping them to overcome poverty and disease, and to create legal systems which are equitable and respectful of human dignity. Certainly, if justice is to be achieved, good economic models, however necessary, are not sufficient. Justice is achieved only when people are just! Consequently, building peace means training individuals to fight corruption, criminal activity, the production and trade in narcotics, as well as abstaining from divisions and tensions which threaten to exhaust society, hindering development and peaceful coexistence.
Continuing our meeting today, I would like to add that peace in society is also put at risk by certain threats to religious liberty: it is a question sometimes of the marginalization of religion in social life; sometimes of intolerance or even of violence towards individuals, symbols of religious identity and religious institutions. It even happens that believers, and Christians in particular, are prevented from contributing to the common good by their educational and charitable institutions. In order effectively to safeguard the exercise of religious liberty it is essential to respect the right of conscientious objection. This ‘frontier’ of liberty touches upon principles of great importance of an ethical and religious character, rooted in the very dignity of the human person. They are, as it were, the ‘bearing walls’ of any society that wishes to be truly free and democratic. Thus, outlawing individual and institutional conscientious objection in the name of liberty and pluralism paradoxically opens by contrast the door to intolerance and forced uniformity.
Moreover, in an ever more open world, building peace through dialogue is no longer a choice but a necessity! From this perspective, the joint declaration between the President of the Bishops’ Conference of Poland and the Patriarch of Moscow, signed last August, is a strong signal given by believers for the improvement of relations between the Russian and Polish peoples. I would also like to mention the peace accord concluded recently in the Philippines and I would like to underline the role of dialogue between religions for a peaceful coexistence in the region of Mindanao.
To conclude our encounter, I would like to recall that, at the end of the Second Vatican Council – which started fifty years ago – the Servant of God, Pope Paul VI, sent out messages which remain relevant, including one addressed to world leaders. He encouraged them in this way: ‘Your task is to be in the world the promoters of order and peace among men. But never forget this: It is God […] who is the great artisan of order and peace on earth’. Today, as I make those sentiments my own, I convey to you, the Ambassadors and other distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as to your families and colleagues, my very best wishes for the New Year. Thank you!
The Catholic Church will be one of six groups to offer input in a two-hour session on Thursday morning, alongside representatives from the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Muslim faiths, and from Atheist Ireland.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A tragic day for Ireland: Govt confirms 'legislation with regulations' on abortion based on X case
From http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1218/abortion-cabinet.html
The Government is to proceed with "legislation with regulations" following the Expert Group report on abortion.
The legislation, supported by regulations, will be within the
parameters of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution as interpreted by the
Supreme Court in the X case.
Appropriate amendments to the criminal law have also been agreed.
Ministers based their decision on the recommendations of the Expert Group on the issue, which were published last month.
The group came up with a range of options, but clearly favoured introducing regulations backed up by legislation.
The group said that solution would be legally robust, but also flexible enough to deal with any scientific or medical developments in the area.
Next year the Oireachtas Health Committee will hold a series of hearings ahead of the framing of legislation, which could come before the Dáil as early as Easter. All eyes will be on the Bill to see how it deals with the suicide issue. There was no mention of the risk of suicide in the statement released by the Government today.
However, Minister for Health James Reilly said the Government is committed to ensuring that the safety of pregnant women in Ireland is maintained and strengthened.
He said: "We must fulfill our duty of care towards them. For that purpose, we will clarify in legislation and regulation what is available by way of treatment to a woman when a pregnancy gives rise to a threat to a woman's life.
"We will also clarify what is legal for the professionals who must provide that care while at all times taking full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child.
"Today the Government has decided the form of action to be taken.
"We will not preempt the debate that must follow by speculating on details to be decided later in the process."
Some TDs fear allowing abortion when the woman presents with suicidal intentions could allow a regime that would prove too liberal.
New legislation before summer recess
Later, Mr Reilly said he is hopeful new legislation on abortion will be passed before the summer recess of the Dail in 2013.
He said it was clear following the expert group report that the Government needed to regulate and legislate for the European Court of Human Rights ruling and the Supreme Court judgement on the X case.
He said the legislation would cover the area of suicide as it was "very clear" the Supreme Court had covered this area in its judgment.
The minister said that regulation and legislation involving suicide was "important to make sure the issue of suicide is not abused as it has been perceived to be in other jurisdictions".
He said Ireland had a "duty of care" to women in Ireland so they had "certainty" about health services available.
He said he would "try to create as much consensus about this as possible", adding there was a need to match the "need for urgency" on the issue, with getting it right.
He hoped legislation may be passed by the summer recess, "if not a lot sooner", and that there was "consensus" around the Cabinet table on the decision.
Suicide issue
Earlier, Dr Berry Kiely of the Pro Life Campaign said if the threat of suicide is included in any legislation to give legal clarity on abortion it will radically change medical practice in Ireland and the Irish legal system.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Kiely said it would introduce, for the first time, the direct and intentional killing of the unborn into Irish law.
She said there was a difference between medical treatment, which may result in the death of a foetus, and abortion, which is intended to end the life of the unborn.
"This is where the whole issue of suicide comes into it, because a woman who says she's suicidal because of being pregnant with this baby, what she's saying is she doesn't want a living baby at the end of this procedure," Dr Kiely said.
"You're actually, in that situation, proposing to directly and intentionally ensure the death of her baby. That's a very radical change for medical practice in Ireland, for our legal system, for whatever."
However, Jacqueline Healy, from the National Women's Council of Ireland, said that in the X Case, the Supreme Court specifically dealt with the threat of suicide.
Speaking on the same programme, Ms Healy said that the right to abortion, where the risk of suicide poses a threat to the life of the mother, is a constitutional right that has been delayed for 20 years.
"If the Government does introduce legislation, or indicates that they're going to introduce legislation, we would welcome that. It would be a historic day for women's health rights in Ireland," Ms Healy said.
"The situation is that we have a judgment, the ABC judgement in the European Court of Human Rights which we do have to implement.
"We had the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health here yesterday and he said to give legal clarity to that judgment, legislation needs to be introduced and we need to repeal the Offences Against the Persons' Act to decriminalise abortion."
The Government is to proceed with "legislation with regulations" following the Expert Group report on abortion.
Appropriate amendments to the criminal law have also been agreed.
Ministers based their decision on the recommendations of the Expert Group on the issue, which were published last month.
The group came up with a range of options, but clearly favoured introducing regulations backed up by legislation.
The group said that solution would be legally robust, but also flexible enough to deal with any scientific or medical developments in the area.
Next year the Oireachtas Health Committee will hold a series of hearings ahead of the framing of legislation, which could come before the Dáil as early as Easter. All eyes will be on the Bill to see how it deals with the suicide issue.
However, Minister for Health James Reilly said the Government is committed to ensuring that the safety of pregnant women in Ireland is maintained and strengthened.
He said: "We must fulfill our duty of care towards them. For that purpose, we will clarify in legislation and regulation what is available by way of treatment to a woman when a pregnancy gives rise to a threat to a woman's life.
"We will also clarify what is legal for the professionals who must provide that care while at all times taking full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child.
"Today the Government has decided the form of action to be taken.
"We will not preempt the debate that must follow by speculating on details to be decided later in the process."
Some TDs fear allowing abortion when the woman presents with suicidal intentions could allow a regime that would prove too liberal.
New legislation before summer recess
Later, Mr Reilly said he is hopeful new legislation on abortion will be passed before the summer recess of the Dail in 2013.
He said it was clear following the expert group report that the Government needed to regulate and legislate for the European Court of Human Rights ruling and the Supreme Court judgement on the X case.
He said the legislation would cover the area of suicide as it was "very clear" the Supreme Court had covered this area in its judgment.
The minister said that regulation and legislation involving suicide was "important to make sure the issue of suicide is not abused as it has been perceived to be in other jurisdictions".
He said Ireland had a "duty of care" to women in Ireland so they had "certainty" about health services available.
He said he would "try to create as much consensus about this as possible", adding there was a need to match the "need for urgency" on the issue, with getting it right.
He hoped legislation may be passed by the summer recess, "if not a lot sooner", and that there was "consensus" around the Cabinet table on the decision.
Suicide issue
Earlier, Dr Berry Kiely of the Pro Life Campaign said if the threat of suicide is included in any legislation to give legal clarity on abortion it will radically change medical practice in Ireland and the Irish legal system.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Kiely said it would introduce, for the first time, the direct and intentional killing of the unborn into Irish law.
She said there was a difference between medical treatment, which may result in the death of a foetus, and abortion, which is intended to end the life of the unborn.
"This is where the whole issue of suicide comes into it, because a woman who says she's suicidal because of being pregnant with this baby, what she's saying is she doesn't want a living baby at the end of this procedure," Dr Kiely said.
"You're actually, in that situation, proposing to directly and intentionally ensure the death of her baby. That's a very radical change for medical practice in Ireland, for our legal system, for whatever."
However, Jacqueline Healy, from the National Women's Council of Ireland, said that in the X Case, the Supreme Court specifically dealt with the threat of suicide.
Speaking on the same programme, Ms Healy said that the right to abortion, where the risk of suicide poses a threat to the life of the mother, is a constitutional right that has been delayed for 20 years.
"If the Government does introduce legislation, or indicates that they're going to introduce legislation, we would welcome that. It would be a historic day for women's health rights in Ireland," Ms Healy said.
"The situation is that we have a judgment, the ABC judgement in the European Court of Human Rights which we do have to implement.
"We had the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health here yesterday and he said to give legal clarity to that judgment, legislation needs to be introduced and we need to repeal the Offences Against the Persons' Act to decriminalise abortion."
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