Government Expert Group on Abortion

Will Rogers defined an expert as "A man fifty miles from home with a briefcase," that came to mind when I saw some of the names on the government Expert Group on Abortion the other day. I hope that they are sincere and that this is not used as a Trojan Horse to bring even "limited" abortion into Ireland. Abortion doesn't improve the health of women, it doesn't save their lives and it always destroys the life of the baby.
If they do recommend that we legislate for abortion the government does not have to accept their recommendations. Of course the fear is that Fine Gael TDs and senators, most of whom are pro-life, would be corralled by the Labour Party minority and forced into supporting legislation that they and a majority of the people in the country don't want. The Labour Party are pro-abortion, of that there is no doubt, you won't see them promoting that position very strongly but it is a very important issue for many of them, especially the deputy leader of the Seanad (and failed Dáil candidate) Senator Ivana Bacik and Anne Ferris TD.
Some soft pro-life Fine Gael TDs don't think they can fight the Labour Party on this issue and may hide behind recommendations of the Expert Group. I hope that on this issue the Fine Gael backbenchers get greater warning than they did on the closing of the Embassy to the Holy See (it cost too much money, though that would still be about 5% of the mission to the European Community). This is not a matter of money, this is a matter of life and death. Anyway Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro Life Campaign has expertise in this area far beyond my own.

 13th January 2012

Pro Life Campaign Says Expert Group on Abortion Presents Opportunity to Clarify Key Ethical Distinctions

The establishment by the Government of the Expert Group on abortion presents an opportunity to clarify important ethical distinctions in this area, the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has said.
The Government this evening announced the members of the 14-member group from the medical, legal and nursing professions, in response to the A, B and C v. Ireland ruling on abortion from the European Court of Human Rights in 2010. The Expert Group will be chaired by Mr Justice Seán Ryan and has to report back to Government within six months with options on how to implement the judgment of the European Court.
In a statement responding to the announcement, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, Dr Ruth Cullen said:
“The establishment of the expert group presents a genuine opportunity to re-affirm the ethical distinction between necessary medical interventions in pregnancy and induced abortion, which intentionally targets the life of the baby.
“Pro-choice activists are falsely claiming that Ireland is obliged to introduce abortion following the European Court of Human Rights decision. In reality, the court recognised the right of the Irish people to decide on the issue.
“It is also of critical importance that the new expert group take account of the latest peer-reviewed research, published in leading periodicals, which highlights the negative psychological effects of abortion for many women.”