“There is an emerging consensus in Ireland which suggests that having a sense of morality has something to do with the Catholic Church. It is automatically assumed that if you consult your conscience, you are essentially consulting with Rome. This is deeply worrying. It is a lazy way of attempting to undermine the worth of an argument, without actually dealing with the substance. This is not just a Catholic issue, any more than it is a Protestant or Muslim issue. This is not a religious issue. It is a human rights issue.”

Lucinda Creighton in her Dáil speech yesterday claimed her view on the abortion bill is not a religious one.

Feminist activist, Anthea McTeirnan had this to say last weekend at the Empowering Women Through Secularism conference:

The Catholic Church in Ireland stands alone on the issue of reproductive rights.

What do human rights organisations such as Amnesty Ireland and the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) have to say?

Dr Alan Brady of the ICCL said the following at the Oireachtas hearings in January:

Ireland is legally obliged under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights expeditiously to implement judgments against it by the Strasbourg Court.

The Government must now, at an absolute bare minimum, introduce abortion legislation and regulations, including in relation to the issue of suicidal ideation. This is no longer a matter for debate.

The most recent case law from the Strasbourg Court on the issue of reproductive rights indicates that Council of Europe states are obliged to ensure that women seeking lawful terminations are not exposed to inhuman and degrading treatment contrary to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Applying this principle in an Irish context, it seems clear to the ICCL that the current treatment of women with pregnancies involving a defined set of fatal foetal abnormalities (i.e. where it is clear that carrying a foetus to term will not result in a viable life) potentially falls foul of Article 3 of the Convention.

Amnesty Ireland is also clear in its stance:

“While government deliberates the legislative and regulatory steps in response to the European Court of Human Rights decision in the A, B & C case, it is obliged under international human rights law to take all necessary steps immediately to ensure women’s access to lawful abortion.”

Amnesty International stressed that any legislative action that falls short of affirming the X case or which seeks to restrict lawful abortion would constitute a row back of human rights.

“Human rights law is also clear on the issue of decriminalisation,” noted Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland.

(Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland)