PRESS RELEASE: Precious Life will be "a voice for the unborn child" in Court Case
PRESS RELEASE: Precious Life will be “a voice for the unborn child” in Court Case
Northern Ireland’s leading pro-life group Precious Life say they will defend the right to life of unborn children in a court case in Belfast (30 January). The pro-life group are ‘Third Party Interveners’ in a Judicial Review at the Royal Courts of Justice, which is challenging the abortion law in Northern Ireland.
Director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth, said, "We will be a voice for the unborn child in the Court room today. This Judicial Review is challenging Northern Ireland's pro-life laws, with the ultimate aim of legalising abortion of little babies prenatally diagnosed with life-limiting disabilities - right up to the moment of birth. The vast majority of unborn babies with life-limiting conditions are diagnosed at the 20-week scan. Therefore, it is late-term abortions that this case is attempting to legalise in Northern Ireland.”
Mrs Smyth continued, “Pregnant women, in the difficult situation of receiving a poor diagnosis for their baby, need real care, love and support to ensure they have the precious time with their sick child, as well as healing and closure. However, abortion is very damaging and traumatic for women. The introduction of abortion is not a realistic or compassionate response for families in these heart-breaking circumstances. In Northern Ireland, we need to tackle the lack of funding for truly compassionate alternatives such as perinatal hospice care and crisis pregnancy support - rather than legalising abortion, which kills an unborn baby and damages women mentally and physically.”
She added, “Every person has a right to life regardless of predicted lifespan, circumstance of conception, gender, race or disability. Our laws against abortion do not breach any ‘human right’. There is no ‘human right’ to abortion under any international legal treaty, convention or instrument including the ECHR, UDHR and the ICCPR. But the right to life is the most fundamental human right. Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless."
Bernadette Smyth concluded, “It is not for the courts to undermine the democratic process here. Our laws are a matter for our elected representatives and Assembly. The legislation in Northern Ireland ensures that mothers and their unborn children are protected in law, policy and practice. Precious Life will continue to be a voice for the unborn child - on the streets, in the courts, and at government level. We will ensure abortion is kept not only illegal, but unthinkable.”
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