Tag Archives: Abortion

Screen-Shot-2012-12-19-at-16.53.3311

There is always a tiny minority of individuals who behave inappropriately. When someone on the pro-life side does so, we must not hesitate to name it and make it clear that such behaviour is wrong and counterproductive. But we cannot allow it to distract from the main issues in the debate.

There will be plenty of time after this phase of the campaign to expose the lies and misrepresentation that has gone on.

And let’s encourage everyone we know to stay positive and do the cause proud.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support.

Caroline Simons
Pro Life Campaign

A message from Caroline Simons at this important time (Prolife Campaign)

Previously: Over To You Caroline

More Pro Lies

An Easy Thing To Forget

When Is A Termination Not A Termination?

Pro-Life’s ‘Lunatic fringe’ And The Special Olympics

Come Dine With Me (Pro-Life Edition)

johnwatersWe beseeched him.

You must never go there.

But he did.

We have been conditioned to think about the idea of pregnancy as some kind of imposition on a woman and her life. This idea actually runs back through Irish culture, predating even the earliest clamouring for abortion rights. It is related to the victim-status claimed by and ceded to women in Irish culture, which has long disguised the true nature of power structures in the domestic realm of Irish life.

Because women are prone to more extravagant shows of emotion than men, our society is far more willing to concede their demands than it is those of males. Not only that, but, almost regardless of how much we claim to repudiate abortion, we refuse to criticise or question the women who seek this remedy for themselves. We will condemn the abortionist who wields the knife, the politician who implements the abortion-facilitating law, the campaigner who demands the change, and so forth.

But the person who obtains the ultimate ‘benefit’ from all this activity is regarded as some kind of enfeebled innocent, upon whom the ‘necessity’ for an abortion is always thrust by unfortunate circumstances, for which the woman has no responsibility herself. Even the priests and bishops who lead the moral crusade against abortion will never speak a word against those on whose behalf abortion is being sought.

Listening to them, one would get the impression that the thousands of Irish women who go to England every year for abortions are the sorry victims of other people’s sins.

 

John Waters (above).

 

Absolutely hardcore.

More wary of female emotions than abortion (John Waters, Irish Catholic)

Pic via BMD

Thanks anon

Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute said that media reports that pro-life activists had carried out a protest at Enda Kenny’s home were “entirely incorrect and had no basis in fact”, and that the Irish media had engaged in “sloppy and unprofessional journalism”.

Ms Ui Bhriain said that reporters had got the facts inexcusably wrong.

“It is inexcusable that the media are printing misinformation of this sort, and it smacks of a rush to try to demonise pro-life activists,” she said.

“The media need to get their act together and politicians need to discuss the reality of this cruel and unacceptable abortion legislation and stop trying to deflect from the issue with unsubstantiated claims and false allegations,” added the Life Institute spokeswoman.

Media get it wrong: protestors at Enda’s house not there about abortion (The Life Institute)

False stories?

Baseless allegations?

“But what was lost in the hysteria that arose was that the tragic death of Savita was actually nothing to do with abortion at all”

“It’s important that people know this and they know that the hospital records show that Savita never asked for a termination.”

“And in Ireland, the people decided thirty years ago that we can offer better answers to women than abortion and that we can protect our mothers and our babies and that’s made Ireland like a ‘safe haven’ for mothers and babies.”

Niamh Uí Bhriain on Fox News following the death of Savita Halappanavar.

Meanwhile….

Threat to burn minister’s home over abortion bill (Michael Brennan, Irish Independent)

Gardaí probe threats to TD from anti-abortion pair (Louise Walsh / Juno McEnroe, Irish Examiner)

Previously: Uí Heart Huckabee

Why This Ad Is Misleading

Going Postal

Precious Tiny Feet

00139957

(Last month’s pro-choice rally outside Dublin Castle)

To the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.

“The inclusion of the maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment for having or assisting in an unlawful abortion is ineffective, disproportionate and inconsistent with the State’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and international human rights law generally.

“In the A, B and C v Ireland case the European Court of Human Rights criticised the inclusion of harsh criminal sanctions in Irish law as a significant ‘chilling factor’ for both women and their doctors. It is the IFPA’s view that the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill not only maintains, but substantially reinforces this chilling effect.”

Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association.

“It’s immediately apparent from this bill that it ignores the needs of the majority of women in Ireland who seek abortions; it continues to tie the hands of the many families each year faced with a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality, women whose health is endangered by pregnancy, as well as women made pregnant by rape or incest. This Bill will criminalise the thousands of women in Ireland every year who self-administer the abortion pill and discourage them from seeking necessary medical assistance if needed.”

Sinéad Redmond, Abortion Rights Campaign.

“We are deeply concerned that the Bill ignores the advice of the expert group report on abortion and the expert perinatal psychiatrists consulted, by differentiating between mental and physical health. This Bill requires that an obstetrician is involved in assessing a woman’s suicide risk even though this was directly challenged in the Oireachtas Health Committee hearings by perinatal psychiatrists in May 2013.

Cathie Doherty, Abortion Rights Campaign

Women’s Hands Tied By Abortion Bill ((Abortion Rights Campaign)

Women’s Hands Tied by Abortion Bill

Earlier: Transfer of Care

(Laura Hutton/Photocall ireland)

draft

On conscientious objection, the Bill still provides that no medical practitioner will be forced to carry out an abortion if they have a conscientious objection.

 

While the bill no longer includes a provision allowing an institution to refuse to provide a termination on the grounds of conscientious objection, department sources insisted this morning that this was because the provision was unnecessary.

 

 

The Bill requires the medical practitioner with the objection to provide for the “transfer of care” of the pregnant woman.

 

The Bill provides a penalty of up to 14 years in prison for the offence of destroying unborn human life.

 

This is a tighter definition than in the draft heads of the bill, which made it an offence to “do any act with the intent to destroy unborn human life”.

 

This was said to apply to anyone involved, including the pregnant woman herself.

 

Protection Of Life During Pregnancy Bill

 

Two significant changes to abortion legislation (RTE)

90303974bishops( Bishop Brendan Leahy (left) and Archbishop Eamon Martin at NUI Maynooth today)

On the second day of the June General Meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Maynooth, the following statement has been issued.

You may need some tay.

A time to reflect

On Saturday last, tens of thousands of women, men and children gathered in Dublin to express their support for the equal right to life of mothers and their unborn children.

We are at a defining moment for our country.

The Gospel of life is at the heart of the message of Jesus. He came that we may have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10). The Gospel challenges us to work for a world in which the dignity and beauty of every human life are respected.

A time to uphold the right to life

The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights; it is the foundation of all other rights. No individual has the right to destroy life and no State has the right to undermine the right to life.

Yet the Irish Government is proposing abortion legislation that will fundamentally change the culture of medical practice in Ireland. For the first time legislation will be enacted permitting the deliberate and intentional killing of an unborn child. This represents a radical change. Every citizen, not just people of faith, should be deeply concerned.

We value the skill and efforts of our doctors, nurses and other care professionals who have helped to earn Ireland’s place as one of the safest countries in the world for mothers and their babies during pregnancy.

Catholic Church teaching is clear: where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are ethically permissible provided every effort is made to save both the mother and her baby.

This is different from abortion, which is the direct and intentional taking of the innocent life of the unborn. No matter what legislation is passed in any country, abortion is, and always will be, gravely wrong.

A time for clarity and truth

The Government is under no obligation to legislate for the X case. People are being misled. We challenge repeated statements that this legislation is about saving lives and involves no change to the law or practice on abortion. Legalising the direct and intentional destruction of the life of an unborn baby can never be described as ‘life-saving’ or ‘pro-life’.

Contrary to clear psychiatric evidence, this legislation proposes abortion as an appropriate response to women with suicidal feelings during pregnancy. It is even possible to envisage as a result of this legislation the deliberate destruction of a child, who could otherwise be saved, right up to and including the moment of birth.

Furthermore, we challenge assurances that the proposed legislation will provide limited access to abortion. As published to date, the legislation will allow for a very wide margin of subjective professional assessment by which the deliberate destruction of an unborn baby can be legally justified. As we have learned from other countries, such legislation opens the door to ever wider availability of abortion.

We remain convinced that enhanced medical guidelines, which do not envisage the direct and intentional killing of the unborn, could provide the necessary clarity as well as a morally, legally and medically acceptable way forward. While good health can normally be restored, life, once taken, can never, never be restored.

A time for freedom of conscience

Freedom of conscience is a fundamental human right. A State that truly cherishes freedom will respect the conscience of its citizens, including its public representatives, on such an important human value as the right to life.

It is ethically unacceptable to expect doctors, nurses and others who have conscientious objections to nominate others to take their place. Neither should any institution with a pro-life ethos be forced to provide abortion services.

A time to decide: a time to act; a time to pray

We call on citizens to exercise their right to make their views known respectfully to our public representatives and to leave them in no doubt about where they stand on this issue.

We ask our public representatives to uphold the equal and inviolable right to life of all human beings, even if this means standing above other pressures and party loyalties.

We also invite our priests and people to continue to pray the Choose Life prayer at Mass and in the home that the dignity and value of all human life will continue to be upheld in this country.

Some mothers today are facing difficult or crisis pregnancies. Other people who have had, or who have assisted with abortions, may be re-living what happened in the past. They deserve to receive all the love, support and professional care that they need.

As Bishops we will join this weekend in prayerful solidarity with millions of Catholics all over the world in the Year of Faith celebration of Blessed John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).

Every human life is precious, every human life is beautiful, every human life is sacred. Choose life!

A Statement From The Catholic Bishops (CatholicBishopsConference) 

Bishops say every citizen should be concerned about abortion legislation (RTE)

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

rallyIced tay if the weather holds.

Robin Pötke writes;

Galway Pro-Choice is calling for a local protest to demand abortion rights tomorrow at 3 PM in Eyre Square, Galway. Would you mind sharing theevent with your readers? We’re a very small group with extremely limited (read: non-existent) funding, so any help to spread the word would be greatly appreciated.

 

Galway March For Abortion Rights (Facebook)

doctorsdoctorsSignatories (top) to a letter in today’s Irish Times today ‘c/o’ Doctors for Life Ireland’.

Eilis writes:

The group of GPs calling themselves “Doctors for Life Ireland” who published an anti-choice letter in today’s Irish Times are, like many parts of the anti-choice movement, not as cuddly as they first appear.
Until recently they [Doctors for Life] called themselves “Irish Catholic Doctors Association” with a far broader remit than just anti-abortion Indeed, their website front page currently contains the line: “The connection between contraception and abortion is primarily this: contraception facilitates the kind of relationship and even the kind of attitudes and moral characters that are likely to lead to abortion.”
That’s a medical opinion, apparently. And coincidentally, their “development officer” is none other than
Sean O Domhnaill of #oircom fame

 

UPDATE:

Dr Patrick Kelly, a signatory to the letter, writes:

Your reporter has incorrectly attributed the signatories to a group called the Irish Catholic Doctors Association.
I, like many of the other signatories did not sign this letter as part of this group as alleged by the journalist. I signed it in the context as it appears in the Irish Times (above) and the Irish Independent.
…I would appreciate if you could editorially clarify that this letter was not submitted as support for the ICDA when this is in no may mentioned in the letter nor did it appear on their website to our knowledge.

Patrick Kelly