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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Abortions taking place on “suicide” ground expose deep seated flaws in new legislation, says PLC


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“No one claimed abortion floodgates would open overnight” – Dr Ruth Cullen
The Pro Life Campaign has said the fact that a number of abortions have already taken place using the ‘suicide’ ground brings to light the entrenched problems with the legislation introduced by the present government in 2013. Three recorded terminations took place on the suicide grounds in the period January-July 2014. No figures have been released for the number of abortions since then. In recent days, outgoing Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Dr Sam Coulter Smith, criticised the new abortion legislation, primarily on the grounds that it set no time limits for when abortions can take place. He said however that he overestimated the number of abortions that would occur on the suicide ground and that the “floodgates” had not opened as predicted.


Commenting on the impact of the new law, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson, Dr Ruth Cullen said: “Within months of the new law being activated three pregnancies were terminated on the ‘suicide’ ground resulting in the intentional ending of unborn human life. The loss of even one life is a tragedy but the fact that we now have a law that facilitates the taking of human life, with the full knowledge that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal feelings, is shameful in the extreme.


“No one on the pro-life side forecast that the floodgates to wide-ranging abortion would happen overnight. Our criticism of the new law was that over time it would normalise abortions taking place on the ‘suicide’ ground given that the decision to carry out an abortion does not have to be based on any medical evidence showing that the intervention was necessary to save the life of the mother. Sadly, it has already been shown that abortions are taking place using this bogus ground despite all the reassurances given by the Taoiseach that it wouldn’t happen.”


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Minister Fitzgerald “completely out of touch with electorate on abortion”, says PLC


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1st January 2016

The Pro Life Campaign has said that comments by  Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Deputy Paschal Donohoe on abortion are further proof that this Government is completely out of touch with the electorate when it comes to addressing the needs of those facing unplanned pregnancies.
Commenting as part of the PLC’s New Year message, Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock said:
“It’s a very sad state of affairs when the first message of the new year is one that highlights the determination of some Government Ministers to target the lives of the most vulnerable members of Irish society.  There is something very unseemly about the way Minister Frances Fitzgerald insists that Fine Gael can ‘deal with’ abortion with or without the Labour Party. Tens of thousands of people are alive in Ireland today thanks to the 8th Amendment. It is a life-saving provision, not a political football.”

“Minister Fitzgerald is being deliberately disingenuous when she distances herself from the term ‘abortion on demand’. She knows, as well as all others involved in this debate,  that any repeal or dismantling of the 8th Amendment would result in widescale abortion over time.”
In terms of what 2016 holds for the pro-life movement,  Ms. Sherlock had this to say:
“The huge numbers of people becoming involved in the Pro Life Campaign is a sign that Minister Fitzgerald and those who want to repeal the 8th Amendment are drastically out of step with the electorate. It is high time for the Government to take a step back and work on the ways they can help families keep their babies instead of constantly talking about abortion,” she concluded.

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PLC challenges Minister Reilly over call for repeal of 8th Amendment



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The Pro Life Campaign has criticised the Minister for Children, James Reilly, over remarks he made in a Sunday newspaper, calling for repeal of the 8th Amendment.
Commenting on the interview, Pro Life Campaign Deputy Chairperson, Cora Sherlock said:
“It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Minister Reilly is seeking to present repeal of the 8th Amendment as an extremely restrictive measure. Every time he talks about changes to Ireland’s abortion laws he goes out of his way to stress that he doesn’t want to see an ‘abortion on demand’ regime here.

“He kept repeating this same line over and over again when as Minister for Health he introduced the controversial 2013 abortion law, a law that incidentally allows abortion up to birth based on a threat of suicide, even though medical evidence shows that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal feelings. Sadly, abortions have already taken place as a result of this law and babies have lost their lives. But there doesn’t appear to be any time to pause and reflect on this stark reality as the Minister and others focus on removing the 8th Amendment, which provides the last remaining protection for the unborn child.”


She continued:
“It is an appalling tragedy that families of babies with life-limiting conditions are returning home after aborting their child to discover when it is too late about the existence of perinatal palliative care as an alternative to abortion, where parents and families of babies with a terminal illness receive the supports and help to care for their son or daughter for whatever short length of time they survive. But with the focus almost exclusively on repeal of the 8th Amendment this life-affirming and positive side of the story is not getting the attention it deserves.


“Minister Reilly never turns down an opportunity to talk about widening the grounds for abortion but he has no track record on delivering proper perinatal palliative care provision in Ireland. He would be better served devoting some time to this as well as listening to parents who were pressured to go down the road of abortion in similar situations and now deeply regret the decision.”
Ms Sherlock concluded:


“The drop in support for abortion reflected in today’s Sunday Independent/Millward Brown poll is encouraging.”


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Minister Harris’ comments on abortion “disappointing but not surprising” says PLC


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Simon Harris went to extraordinary lengths before the last general election to court pro-life votes


The Pro Life Campaign has said the call by Minister of State Simon Harris for a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment is disappointing but not surprising. The PLC’s Deputy Chairperson, Cora Sherlock said Minister Harris’ comments are “indicative of the blinkered attitude of this Government when it comes to abortion. Instead of working to improve perinatal hospice facilities for the families of babies with life-limiting conditions, the entire focus is on the further liberalisation of abortion.”
She said: “The real tragedy here is that many families in these situations travel abroad for abortion and are devastated when they return to learn for the first time that perinatal hospice care exists as an alternative to abortion. With government ministers and others placing all the focus on abortion rather than putting resources in place for better perinatal care facilities, some families are opting for abortion that would otherwise not do so. That’s the real scandal and Minister Harris’ latest comments just add to it.


Ms Sherlock said: “Simon Harris went to extraordinary lengths before the last general election to court pro-life votes. He wasn’t just satisfied quoting the then Fine Gael commitment not to legislate for abortion. He gave his own personal commitment as well which he subsequently broke of course in 2013. His behaviour is the kind of thing that makes some people very cynical about politics. He obviously now believes it is right and proper that the law should regard unborn babies with life-limiting conditions as less worthy of legal protection than other human beings. That’s an incredible position for him to adopt but it’s the obvious logic of his position when you take a closer look. He has arrived at this position, to the best of my knowledge, without ever meeting with groups like One Day More or Every Life Counts, representing families who are devastated at the disregard and disrespect shown by politicians and commentators to their sons or daughters with life-shortening conditions. Given how he broke his pro-life promise in 2013, Minister Harris’ latest statement on abortion is disappointing but not surprising. “


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Open Letter published by Amnesty International does a disservice to Ireland’s doctors, says PLC



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“Amnesty ignores Ireland’s outstanding record in maternal healthcare,” says Sherlock
The Pro Life Campaign has said the open letter from doctors published 20/11/2015 as part of Amnesty’s campaign for wider access to abortion ignores the excellent work being done by doctors in Ireland in protecting the lives of pregnant women.
Commenting on the letter, Deputy Chairperson of the PLC Cora Sherlock said:
“The latest attempt by Amnesty to push for the liberalisation of Ireland’s abortion laws seeks to depict abortion as ‘healthcare’ when in reality it is nothing of the sort.  All it does is end the life of an unborn baby.
“Ireland’s doctors are world leaders when it comes to safeguarding the lives of pregnant women. This fact was re-stated in the most recent report on international maternal mortality, where Ireland ranks far above, for example, the US, a country where abortion is widely available and where some of the signatories to Amnesty’s open letter come from.  There is no mention of Ireland’s outstanding record in maternal care in Amnesty’s letter.  This does a huge disservice to doctors in Ireland who work hard on a daily basis to maintain our impressive international record.
“Today’s open letter represents a further attempt by Amnesty to comment only on carefully selected aspects of the abortion debate. When an article appeared in a prominent newspaper last week, highlighting the fact that babies who survive abortion attempts are left to die alone in hospital corners, there was no open letter from Amnesty.  The public will be asking why a group set up to protect human rights is not insisting that abortion providers explain this human rights abuse,” she concluded.


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Free vote on abortion will not reassure pro-life supporters, says PLC


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The Pro Life Campaign has said that the Taoiseach’s offer of a free vote on abortion will do little to reassure those who want to see unborn babies protected in Ireland.
Commenting earlier today, Pro Life Campaign Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock said:
“The Taoiseach’s comments have been reported as something dramatic and ground-breaking.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The suggestion that the abortion issue could be referred to a “Citizens’ Convention” will remind many of the charade in 2013, when expert evidence presented at two sets of Oireachtas Hearings was ignored by the Government who went ahead and introduced abortion.
“By all means, let the Taoiseach make a dramatic statement on abortion. Let him address the fact that repealing the 8th Amendment would mean removing the basic right to life from our Constitution. Let him explain why seriously ill unborn children are having their lives targeted by some members of his Government, including the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.  And let him address the serious human rights abuses that abortion has led to in other countries.  Answers to these questions, and others like them, are what the public really needs to hear,” she concluded.




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The Pro Life Campaign has taken issue with the Labour Party’s blinkered stance on abortion as presented at today’s press launch of its campaign to repeal the 8th Amendment.
Commenting on the launch, Deputy Chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign, Cora Sherlock said:
“The thing that stands out about today’s launch by the Labour Party is the complete absence of any mention of the unborn child’s right to life, the devastating effects of abortion on many women or the pressures that some parents are coming under to abort their baby when he or she is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition.
“Do they seriously think they can run and hide and ignore the grave injustice that abortion involves and its long-lasting effects? The horror of abortion and the hurt and heartbreak it causes cannot be sidestepped in this shameful way.”


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RTÉ’s wall to wall bias on abortion deserves to be an election issue, says Sherlock


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The Pro Life Campaign has strongly criticised RTÉ’s treatment of the abortion issue following last night’s interview on the Late Late Show with the incoming Master of the Rotunda Hospital, Professor Fergal Malone. The Pro Life Campaign accused RTÉ of repeatedly pushing the case for abortion and “censoring the devastating personal stories of women who regret their abortions and of families who came under intense and inappropriate pressure from medical staff to abort their son or daughter but refused.”
Commenting about last night’s programme, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Cora Sherlock said: “It is far from acceptable that RTÉ only ever presents the case for abortion and completely blanks the other side of the argument. The Master of the Rotunda is free if he chooses to only tell one side of the story but RTÉ is legally obliged to present both sides.”
Ms Sherlock continued: “I know several families who were pressured and in some cases literally bullied by medical staff to abort their babies but refused. I know one woman who hasn’t worked a day in over ten years after an abortion where she heard her baby cry. The heartbreak that some people experience after abortion is simply unbelievable.
“But RTÉ thinks it’s perfectly okay that these and other harrowing stories from a pro-life perspective should be censored at every turn from listeners and viewers. It is a scandal that the country’s national broadcasting station feels it can behave in such an appallingly undemocratic way.
“It has reached a point where the deep-seated bias at the heart of RTÉ deserves to be an election issue. People are tired of the wall to wall bias every day. Licence fee paying members of the public certainly deserve better. The conduct of RTÉ on abortion is shaping up to become a very big story in itself in the coming months. And that’s as it should be.”


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“Minister Reilly must defend 8th Amendment before UN Committee,” says PLC


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13th January 2016
The Pro Life Campaign has said that the Minister for Children must ensure that his comments before a UN Human Rights Committee this week represent all children in Ireland, born and unborn.
Spokesperson Sinead Slattery said:
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides explicit protection for the rights of the unborn child in international human rights law, highlighting in its Preamble that the Child needs special safeguards and legal protection, ‘before as well as after birth’. The 8th Amendment fulfils this requirement by guaranteeing the equality of the unborn child in Irish law, and protecting their most basic right of all, the right to life.
“Any criticism that the UN Committee makes of this aspect of Irish law should be roundly rejected by Minister Reilly. Instead, a robust defence of this life-saving provision should be provided as it is abundantly clear that the 8th Amendment, the Life Equality Amendment, is responsible for saving tens of thousands of lives since its introduction.”


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PLC says Minister Varadkar only listens to one side of the story on abortion

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The Pro Life Campaign says Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has yet again called for repeal of the 8th Amendment to allow for abortion where babies have a terminal illness, even though he has never once agreed to meet with parent of babies who continued with the pregnancy in similar situations. The PLC was responding to the Minister’s latest call today for repeal of the 8th Amendment.
Pro Life Campaign Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock said:
“Minister Varadkar comments on abortion every other day but he has never taken the time to meet with families who have continued with their pregnancies when their babies were diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. It is extremely regrettable that the Minister sees fit to campaign so stridently on this issue without making sure he has heard both sides of the story. It is shameful how one-sided Fine Gael have become on this issue.”


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PLC welcomes passing of pro-life motion by Kerry County Councillors


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The Pro Life Campaign has welcomed the passing of a motion in Kerry County Council yesterday, calling on the Government not to take any action which could lead to change or repeal of the 8th Amendment.
Commenting on the motion which was passed by a majority of 10 to 1, PLC spokesperson Cora Sherlock said:
“The 10-to-1 majority passing of this motion is to be welcomed. By stating that the Government should not interfere with the 8th Amendment, the Councillors have acknowledged that every human being should have their rights protected in Irish law, whether born or unborn.
“The 8th Amendment is responsible for saving the lives of tens of thousands of people in Ireland today. We must work towards a society where this protection continues, and where the necessary financial, social and other supports are put in place so that no woman feels she must resort to the sadness of abortion and the loss of her unborn child.”


You can find out more by clicking here.

Pro Life Campaign launches election video for #GE2016

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The Pro Life Campaign today launched a new election video for voters who want information about the stances of General Election candidates on the 8th Amendment.
Speaking about the launch, Deputy Chairperson of the PLC Cora Sherlock said:
“We only have to recall the pro-life vigils and rallies in recent years to get a sense of the vast numbers of people who are concerned about this issue and where our elected representatives stand on protecting the right to life. We are inundated with requests at present from members of the public for information on the stances of candidates in the forthcoming election on the issue.
“Our supporters are looking for assistance in distinguishing between candidates who say they are ‘pro-life’ and candidates who have a track record in defending life. After the way Fine Gael TDs broke their pre-election pro-life promise in 2013, pro-life supporters are rightly much more caution about accepting the word of candidates.
“We are currently compiling information so that voters will have accurate and detailed information before Election Day on the positions of election candidates. The video we are launching today is just one of the ways we are spreading the word and encouraging people to use their vote to protect life.
“There is a noticeable tendency in much of the media to blame the 8th Amendment for everything whenever abortion is in the news. It’s easy to do that if the focus is only on one side of the story. It is only fair that the pro-life side would also get a hearing too and that the tens of thousands of lives saved as a result of the 8th Amendment would also feature prominently in the debate.”
The new Pro Life Campaign video is called “Your Vote Matters – Use It To Protect Human Life.”




You can find out more by clicking here.

Pro Life Campaign launches election initiative for #GE16

Vote Pro Life Group

The Pro Life Campaign is encouraging voters to give their support to candidates who will work towards retaining the 8th Amendment.
Pro-life volunteers held an awareness event outside the Dáil yesterday evening to launch the Campaign’s election video entitled “Your Vote Matters – Use It To Protect Human Life”. The video is being shared on social media and has already been viewed more than 130,000 times.
Speaking about Pro Life Campaign activities in the run up to the General Election, Deputy Chairperson of the group, Cora Sherlock said:
“We are hearing every day from candidates throughout the country that the abortion issue is coming up on doorsteps much more often than anticipated. They also admit that it is pro-life and not pro-choice supporters who are raising the issue.”
Ms Sherlock said: “I am not at all surprised that voters are raising the issue. Abortion is not something that people are going to raise lightly given the sensitivity of the issue but a significant chunk of the electorate have been following the debate closely and are concerned by the entirely one-sided presentation of the issue in politics and the media and at the way some members of the outgoing Dáil went out of their way at the last election to say how ‘pro-life’ they were, only to turn around and vote for abortion.
“Pro-life voters are rightly more cautious this time around. The memory of how many Fine Gael TDs broke their pre-election pro-life promise in 2013 is fresh in their minds, but so too is the fact that there were principled members of the Dáil who kept their promise and ended up being expelled from Fine Gael for voting against abortion.
“Our election video ‘Your Vote Matters’ is reaching pro-life voters throughout the country to remind them of the importance of using their vote to protect the 8th Amendment. Fine Gael and others like to pretend the pro-life vote is not all that significant. But the massive numbers that turned out to pro-life vigils and rallies in recent years is only a small glimpse of the true strength of the pro-life vote. After what happened in 2013, pro-life voters will be judging candidates by their record rather than their words. In this election, the pro-life vote is likely to play an important role in key marginal constituencies and could well have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.”
The new Pro Life Campaign video is called “Your Vote Matters – Use It To Protect Human Life.” It can be viewed here


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PLC says Belfast High Court judgement “sets value of unborn child at zero”

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In the High Court in Belfast on 30/11/2015, Mr Justice Mark Horner, held that the abortion legislation in Northern Ireland breached Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by not allowing abortion in certain circumstances. The challenge to Northern Ireland’s abortion law was taken by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
Responding to Belfast’s High Court ruling, Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro Life Campaign said:
“The only way Mr Justice Horner could have reached the decision he did is by absolutely side-stepping the fact that an innocent unborn child is also present whenever abortion is considered. It is simply not the case, as the judge says, that for an unborn baby with a limiting condition, ‘there is no life to protect.’ His comments fly in the face of all the evidence and are deeply hurtful to families of babies diagnosed with life shortening conditions. The judge in this case has set the value of the unborn child at zero and ignored the well documented negative after effects of abortion for many women.
“Today’s outcome is a reminder that abortion allows some human lives to be judged less worthy of legal protection. It is the role of the judicial system to uphold and protect basic human rights like the right to life. Today’s decision means that in the eyes of the court certain categories of human beings are not deserving of legal protection. That’s a very frightening development.
“The decision is also inconsistent with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the fact that there is no right to abortion in international human rights law.
“Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights protects against ‘inhumane and degrading treatment’, but abortion itself is inhumane and degrading to the unborn child whose life is ended. This is the reality which the judge did not acknowledge but which must now be discussed”, Dr Cullen concluded.
The Pro Life Campaign has welcomed the news that Northern Ireland’s Attorney General John Larkin is likely to challenge the decision.

Ray D'Arcy Show fails to uphold fairness in relation to abortion in broadcast.


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The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has found that the RTE programme “The Ray D’Arcy Show” has breached the requirements of the Broadcasting Acts for fairness, objectivity and impartiality in news and current affairs.  The programme in question was an interview with Colm O’Gorman of Amnesty Ireland.
Responding to the decision which was released on 9/12/2015, Sinead Slattery of the Pro Life Campaign said:
“It is no surprise that a number of people pursued official complaints against RTE in relation to this particular edition of the Ray D’Arcy Show. The public are entitled to hear both sides of the story on the abortion issue.  It does a grave disservice to listeners when the state-funded broadcaster pushes one agenda.


You can find out more by clicking here to go to the pro-life website


Abortion on demand, not women empowerment will be the outcome of Labour's abortion proposal, says PLC

 




The Pro Life Campaign has said the Labour Party’s election proposal on abortion amounts to abortion on demand and does nothing to empower women. The PLC’s Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock was commenting on the Labour Party’s position at an event outside the Dáil today, in advance of Friday’s General Election.
Commenting on Labour’s policy on abortion, Ms Sherlock said: “No amount of euphemistic language from Labour can disguise the fact that what they are proposing is identical to the abortion regime that exists in England, where all respect for unborn human life has been completely stripped away. For example, in England, 90% of babies diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome are aborted.
“As a society, I think we need to reflect on the horror of what is contained in Labour’s proposal and the total disregard it shows towards innocent and defenceless human life. Voters deserve to know what a vote for Labour would mean on the abortion issue.”
Ms Sherlock also commented on Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s idea of setting up a citizen’s convention after the election to look at the issue. She said the citizen’s convention proposal “has all the appearances of a repeat of what happened in advance of the abortion legislation in 2013. Back then, the Taoiseach initiated Oireachtas Hearings, then ignored the expert medical evidence presented to them and instead caved in to Labour’s demands for abortion to be introduced. Not once has the Taoiseach defended all that is positive about the 8thAmendment and the fact that there are thousands of people alive today because of our pro-life laws.”
Ms Sherlock said: “There is nothing liberal or life-protecting about Labour’s proposal. It is the same tired, clichéd and inadequate response that led to wide-ranging abortion in other countries. What is being proposed would do nothing to empower women or meet their needs when faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Many women who regret their abortions say that all it would have taken is for one person to have offered them support and encouragement and they’d have continued with their pregnancy. Labour’s proposal is the opposite of empowerment and freedom. In the name of ‘choice’ it pretends there is no social or emotional cost involved in going through with an abortion. That is a total betrayal of women.
“Despite all the criticism, the 8th Amendment was a milestone in human rights when introduced. As the debate develops and pro-life stories start to get a hearing, I’ve no doubt more and more people will see the value of retaining the 8th Amendment. This Friday, however, Ireland’s pro-life laws hang in the balance. Before voting, we encourage voters to take note of where candidates in their area stand on the right to life. They can do so by checking the Pro Life Campaign’s website www.prolifecampaign.ie.”
 
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