It is, and has always been, my belief that the majority of Irish people cherish all human life and would never condone the killing of the most defenceless and innocent of all people, our unborn children. It seemed likely then, that attempts to introduce abortion would not be driven by the will of the people but forced upon us by a pro-abortion government or by some external instrument such as the Council of Europe or the European Union. Pro-abortion campaigners are eager to use these external avenues to foist their agenda on Ireland and are now, yet again, attempting to open up an avenue to legal abortion via the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

As reported in the Irish Times (28.07.2008) three women are challenging Ireland’s ban on abortion at the European Court claiming their rights are being denied as Ireland’s abortion laws “forced” them in to having abortions abroad. The Irish Family Planning Association, the usual suspects, are of course supporting the case as part of its campaign to introduce legalised abortion into Ireland.

The European Court of Human Rights is an institution of the Council of Europe and was established under the European Convention of Human Rights, of which Ireland is a signatory party. Its role is to monitor human rights violations in member states and to act accordingly. Although this may seem like a noble proposition the Council’s declarations of late have been anything but noble – lashing out at Ireland because we have “failed” to allow the abortion industry to abuse our women and children.

In 2006 the ECHR instructed Poland to guarantee access to legal abortion by “liberalizing its legislation and practice on abortion”. In an English case involving abortion the court ruled that the life of an unborn child “cannot be regarded in isolation from the life of a pregnant woman”. The right to life of the unborn is something that the Irish people campaign for, and have voted to uphold. It is hugely undemocratic and an abuse of power for any instrument of Europe to dictate to Ireland on this issue. We in Ireland have the right to protect the lives of all our citizens born and unborn and no-one; not the IFPA, not pro-abortion campaigners and certainly not a foreign judge in a foreign court, has the right to force us to do otherwise. The ECHR needs to recognise that the right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights without which all other rights become negated.

I was not surprised to discover that the IFPA were the ones steamrolling this case through European Courts. The IFPA has been granted charitable status by the Revenue though it is clearly a money-making outfit, who has now undertaken yet another political campaign to undermine the wishes of the Irish people.

The IFPA, which is also in receipt of millions of euros of taxpayers’ monies, has given up any pretence as to these political machinations. They have finally acknowledged that they have failed utterly in gaining support for their aim of “free, legal abortion-on-demand”, so now they resort to the international courts to further their deadly agenda. And they’re being kept open to do so with your taxes!

The circumstances surrounding this court case are sketchy to say the least. One thing that is obvious, however, is that the IFPA are using the same old trickery of confusing abortion with necessary medical treatment to try and get a basis for their case. It is an old deception of the pro-abortion movement to falsely swear that without access to abortion women’s lives will be put in danger. This is simply not true. If during pregnancy a woman develops a complication which requires medical or surgical intervention (without which both she and her baby will die) she is absolutely entitled to such intervention in Ireland. Sadly, if the baby dies as a result of that intervention that is a misfortunate side-effect of the treatment and is not and should never be considered as an abortion. It’s typically dishonest of pro-abortion campaigners to confuse this in an effort to legalise abortion on medical grounds, and, it would seem, that is exactly what is going on with this latest court case.

The ECHR is expected to begin hearing this case sometime next year. We will be keeping a watchful eye on these developments.

Source : Eoghan de Faoite - Youth Defence

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