National Vigil for Life. June 8th. Merrion Sq. 3pm

Thousands of people are working hard to oppose the Government’s destructive abortion proposal. Thank you for playing YOUR part.

We simply must keep the effort up to stop this appalling legislation. As things stand, two psychiatrists, with an obstetrician on the sidelines, will be able to sign away the life of a child of a healthy mother. This is a travesty of good medicine.

There can be no question of pessimism on our side or resignation that all this is going to happen. We must oppose this at every step – before, during and after events in the Dáil and Seanad – and propose a positive alternative. We must never give up on the cause of human dignity.

So we urge you to do all you can to make the National Vigil for Life on 8th June a big success. This Vigil comes at the key moment with the Government producing the actual legislation. 

We must demonstrate the massive number of pro-life people in Ireland. Early June is a critical time and we need you to do everything that you can – now.Please get involved by attending yourself and also bringing as many others as possible.

Bring a carload or a busload! 

To organise a bus from your area, please telephone Denise on (087) 266 8702, Theresa on (085) 871 1100 or Maria on (085) 883 4636

You can order leaflets instantly to spread among family and friends here

For information on updates like the National Vigil For Life Facebook page and follow @natvigil4life on Twitter

Irish abortion regime must be resisted

 Irish abortion regime must be resisted

As the rather pathetic summer turns into autumn we have to keep our eye on one of those issues where there is a "consensus" among the left wing politicians and some of the hacks in our newspapers on one hand and the majority of the population on the other. The indubitable Cora Sherlock, chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign has her say in The Examiner.

Irish abortion regime must be resisted

By Cora Sherlock

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The introduction of abortion has far-reaching effects. Everyone should be free to voice an opinion, says Cora Sherlock
WE’VE come to expect a certain level of divisiveness in the abortion debate. It’s an emotive subject simply because it concerns the most fundamental right of all — the right to life. 

Ironically, many call for a calm debate one minute, and then revert to accusations of cowardice the next. We saw this in action recently when a group of Fine Gael TDs indicated that they were not prepared to vote for abortion legislation. 

But why should they, or anyone who opposes abortion, be accused of cowardice? Surely we’ve wrestled with this issue for long enough to have passed the stage of name-calling? The introduction of abortion to a society has far-reaching effects. As such, everyone living in that society should be free to voice an opinion without fear of being castigated, regardless of where they stand on the issue. 

Health Minister James Reilly’s comments and actions over the past few weeks mean it will not come as any great surprise if the expert group on abortion reports back in September with a limited list of options, all of which lead to the introduction of abortion, whether by legislation or regulation. However, if this happens it will be on the basis of a political decision and will have nothing to do with the requirements of either medicine or law. 

Women don’t die in Ireland because abortion is illegal here. We have a lower maternal mortality rate than countries such as the Netherlands or the UK, where abortion is legal. This fact is often dismissed by those who would like to see abortion introduced here, but their arguments ignore the fact that pregnant women in Irish hospitals already receive whatever treatment they need for an existing medical condition. The only difference is that doctors here have a duty of care towards the unborn child as he or she is recognised as a separate patient. The same cannot be said of the UK, for example, where abortion is legal up to 24 weeks and up to birth if the baby is suffering from even a minor disability. 

Earlier this year, The Daily Telegraph carried out an undercover investigation which revealed systematic abuses in a number of abortion clinics, including the illegal practice of sex-selective abortion. Babies are born alive during "botched abortions" in the UK — and then left to die. 

These facts are unpalatable, but it is incumbent on those who advocate the introduction of abortion to explain how we will be any different to countries such as the UK, which introduced abortion on supposedly "limited grounds" and subsequently found it impossible to restrict or control. Legally, there is no obligation on the Government to introduce abortion. The oft-quoted ABC European court decision merely obliged us to state our laws clearly; it did not state what those laws should be but recognised the right of the Irish people to decide this issue. 

If, as some have suggested, we legislate on the basis of the X Case, we would be ignoring the fact that the court in X heard no medical evidence. In making its decision, the court set no time limits. Legislation based on X means late-term abortions would be protected in law right up to birth. Since the X Case too, there has been a wealth of peer-reviewed evidence showing that abortion often has negative consequences on the woman involved — a fact exemplified by the testimonies of the women in groups like Women Hurt and this year’s HSE/Crisis Pregnancy Programme Study, which found a marked increase in the level of abortion regret since the last study carried out in 2003. An honest debate accepts that there are negative effects on many women. Their voices must not be drowned out. 

In its pre-election commitment to the Pro-Life Campaign, Fine Gael restated its opposition to the legalisation of abortion and research conducted on human embryos. It undertook to bring to the expert group a clear "commitment that women in pregnancy will receive whatever treatments are necessary to safeguard their lives and that the duty of care to preserve the life of the baby will also be upheld". 

This is the genuine pro-life, pro-woman position that is currently in practice in Irish hospitals and is consistently supported in independent opinion polls. A careful review of the facts has meant several governments have realised abortion is not necessary to safeguard women’s health. On the contrary, it may jeopardise their psychological wellbeing and end the life of a separate human being. 

Right now, Dr Reilly has primed the expert group to produce a list of options that would impose an abortion regime on Ireland. This is an affront to human dignity and the right to life and must be opposed.

 



* Cora Sherlock is deputy chairwoman of the Pro-Life Campaign

Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless. 

Although I live west of the Shannon I don't make it to Mayo half as much as I should. Therefore I was slightly amused to find a letter that was originally published in the Connaught Telegraph on the  website for the US National Right to Life. I think it sums up perfectly the situation in Ireland right now, how Fine Gael, who are the majority party after all, need to stand up against the pro abortion bullies in the Labour Party.
Here is the letter as it appeared on the US website, complete with explanatory notes for the US readers.

Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless

Editor’s note. The following letter to the editor was forwarded to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, which reprinted it on its webpage. Mr. Ryan’s letter was sent to “The Connaught Telegraph.” [The “Fine Gael” is a political party in Ireland.]

Sir,
In a time when politicians get criticised for following the party line without question, I was very pleased that some members of Fine Gael stood up recently and said they were not going to accept abortion.
I’m referring to this month’s meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party when a number of Fine Gael representatives challenged the Minister for Health and vowed to vote against abortion legislation.
I was especially glad to see John O’Mahony [a member of the Fine Gael from Mayo] listed among those who spoke up on this issue.
Based on his defense of the unborn so far I would have no difficulty either voting for him or asking others to vote for him in a future election.
While it seems that Ireland remains an overwhelmingly pro-life country, according to consistent Millward Brown Lansdowne opinion polling, there does seem to be bias among the national media that favours legislating for abortion.
Over 79 per cent of people in Mayo want Fine Gael to keep their pre-election promise. That is considerably more than the 65 per cent that voted for Fine Gael in the last election.
In the same election the pro-abortion Labour party got less than five per cent of the vote. Clearly the people of Mayo support women who are pregnant and they want to see the law reflect this.
I was shocked to see that some member of the Labour party were critical of the Fine Gael [members of the lower house of Parliament] and senators. The fact that the Fine Gael party made a pro-life commitment to The Pro-Life Campaign prior to the general election is laudable and the fact the Fine Gael deputies feel that they should honour their promise is something Fine Gael should be proud of.
It continues to be a tragedy that Irish women travel for abortions and it’s a scandal that women do so because they do not feel they have adequate supports in Ireland.
I hope our politicians will continue to see the need to offer women more and better support services when they are faced with a crisis pregnancy.
Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless. I congratulate the Fine Gael deputies on their stance and hope that the rest of the Fine Gael party follows suit.
Yours sincerely,

Tom Ryan, Castlebar. 

Former head of IFPA to head Ireland's health service, well done minister Reilly, you get the prize for most cock ups this Summer. 

James Reilly believes that he doesn't have enough trouble on his plate. His recent appearance in Stubbs Gazette as a debt defaulter hasn't caused him enough grief, he has decided to appoint a former head of the largest organized campaigner for abortion in Ireland as head of the new health service.
As chief executive of the IFPA Mr Tony O'Brien was very critical of Ireland and her laws in this regard. Mr O'Reilly was very vocal more than ten years ago when the statistics showed that the number of Irish women seeking abortions in Britain was on the rise, responding to the release of statistics in 2000 he said: "... we are doing very little to seriously tackle the underlying issue of unplanned pregnancy."The numbers have declined over the last ten years, the IFPA have their own spin on that but it can't be explained by contraception, not when the birth rate is at a 118 year high and abortions are at a 30 year low.
Mr O'Brien has spent the last ten years working in the health services. He seems to have done very well there. I can't take his success from him. His appointment as head of the nation's health services is a strange move, this cannot be denied. The minister cannot claim that he was not aware of Mr O'Brien's résumé. Because of this Mr. O'Brien's appointment at this time, when abortion is being discussed with such heat his appointment for a three year period is extraordinary arrogant by O'Reilly. O'Reilly has made other decisions where he has been criticized for his arrogance but this one takes the biscuit. Considering some of the actions Mr O'Brien took and remarks that he made during his tenure as chief of the IFPA the only thing that can be said is that his appointment is thoroughly unsuitable at this time once you consider the issue that James Reilly has told us that he will legislate.
Thankfully some within Fine Gael have the courage to stand up to Reilly and I hope that others will develop the same but this appointment while it will give comfort to the Labour Party it will do nothing to boost support for Fine Gael. Having two Junior Ministers in your department, at least one of which feels slighted that the resignation of the head of the HSE wasn't made known to her before it was announced publicly, isn't working well for Reilly.
Of course there is one other possibility, that Reilly is just not up to the job.

Opinion poll shows overwhelming support for Ireland's pro-life laws. 

It's been a while since I've seen an opinion poll on abortion that was conducted by a polling agency and not conducted online or by phone in. The recent poll conducted by Millward Brown Lansdowne for the Pro Life Campaign turned up some interesting results. 
When people understand that the law as it stands in Ireland ensures that mothers get all medical attention that they need while doctors also strive to preserve the life of their unborn child they are more likely to support the status quo.

Thursday 21st June 2012

Public wants Fine Gael to honour its pro-life commitments

Pro Life Campaign calls on Minister for Health to clarify Fine Gael’s stance on abortion following Dáil speech

The Pro Life Campaign today released the latest Millward Brown Lansdowne polling research on life issues which shows strong public backing for the pro-life commitments made by Fine Gael prior to the general election in 2011. The research also reveals significant public support for current medical practice in Ireland where there is a duty of care towards the baby when intervening in pregnancy to save the mother’s life.
The research was carried out on a quota controlled sample of 979 people aged 18+ between 2nd – 15th May 2012.
The first question reads:
Just prior to polling day in the 2011 General Election, Fine Gael said it was opposed to the legalisation of abortion and experimentation on human embryos. It said that Fine Gael’s representatives would bring to the proposed all-party committee a clear commitment that women in pregnancy will receive whatever treatments are necessary to safeguard their lives, and the duty of care to preserve the life of the baby will also be upheld.  Would you agree or disagree with this commitment?
Overall, of those who expressed an opinion, 80% agreed with the commitment and 20% disagreed.  In Connacht/Ulster which includes the Taoiseach’s constituency of Mayo, 87% agreed and only 13% disagreed.
The second question was worded as follows:
Current medical practice in Ireland does not allow the deliberate killing of the unborn baby.  In a crisis pregnancy situation, the doctor has a duty of care towards the baby when intervening to save the mother’s life.  Do you consider that this ethical practice should be protected by law?
78% of those who expressed an opinion said it should and 22% disagreed.  There was majority support in all ages, social classes and regions.
Commenting on the poll findings, Dr Berry Kiely of the Pro Life Campaign said: “When the ethical distinction between induced abortion and necessary medical interventions in pregnancy is clarified in polling questions, the true strength of public opposition to abortion is revealed. The latest poll findings bear this out and are immensely reassuring from a pro-life perspective.”
Referring to the speech by Minister for Health, James Reilly in the Dáil during the recent Private Members’ Bill on abortion, Dr Kiely said,  “The Minister for Health’s speech alarmed pro-life supporters and he has a responsibility to clarify his position and that of Fine Gael”.
In his speech Minister Reilly said that the previous six governments had failed to legislate for the X Case decision but that the present Government “will not be the seventh.”
In response to this, Dr Kiely said, “It is clear from the Minister’s remarks that he does not expect the “Expert Group” on abortion to list as one of its options ways of complying with the European Court of Human Rights decision in A, B and C v. Ireland, that afford legal protection to both mother and baby in pregnancy. This completely undermines Fine Gael’s solemn pre-election commitment opposing abortion legislation and pledging that “women in pregnancy will receive whatever treatments are necessary to safeguard their lives and the duty of care to preserve the life of the baby will also be upheld.
“Legislation based on the X Case would amount to abortion on demand as the judges heard no medical evidence and set no time limits for when an abortion could take place. In addition the recent European court decision in A, B and C v. Ireland does not oblige us to introduce an abortion regime.
“Instead of repeating pro-abortion claims, the Minister for Health needs to acknowledge that Ireland, without abortion, is the safest country in the world for pregnant women as recognised by the UN and World Health Organisation. The Minister also needs to clarify Fine Gael’s stance on abortion in light of his recent speech in the Dáil”, Dr Kiely concluded.

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.”