Wednesday, April 20, 2011

New attack on unborn life in Ireland by non governmental organisations supported by Labour Minister of State

According to an Irish Times report  the new Irish Government Cabinet has discussed the possibility of amending Ireland’s abortion laws in support of which they quote the new Minister of State for Disability, Equality and Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch. See Irish Times article

Ms Lynch yesterday launched a new report which called for the immediate enactment of legislation “to clarify the circumstances under which an abortion may be lawful”. The Your Rights. Right Now report, produced by a coalition of 18 non-governmental organisations and trade unions, said the Government should address the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 and the Constitutional Review Group in 1996.

“I do know that this issue has been discussed already in Cabinet, because at the end of the day we have a High Court, Supreme Court judgment coming down the tracks at us,” Ms Lynch said.

This new attack on unborn life is extremely serious in that it is backed by a Minister of State. It is also a very one sided report in that it fails to acknowledge the importance of the right to life of the unborn and that the report in question is not the only one. The Ministers  statement and the Irish Times article completely ignore the fact that a large number of pro-life organisations have also lodged reports with the Irish Government in preparation for the UN Universal periodic review which will take place later this year.