Friday, July 31, 2009

Shocking new statistics: 13 million abortions annually in China


I have blogged previously on China’s one child policy and the problems arising from that draconian legislation, however I was astounded by statistics released on Thursday by Chinese health officials who say that more than 13 million babies are now aborted annually in China. Clearly however even this is far from being the total annual loss of life due to the one child policy, Chinese officials have admitted that this accounts only for surgical abortions carried out in hospitals, not those in unregistered rural abortion facilities. In addition, 10 million abortifacients are sold every year in China which became the first country in the world to approve the deadly RU 486 abortion pill in 1988 to assist with its One Child "family planning" programs. These figures show a marked increase from the last available statistics in 2003. ((New York Times article)

Despite the government's ongoing coercive one child policy, which continues to employ fines, heavy pressure and intimidation to convince people to abort, local experts have blamed lack of knowledge among young people of sex and contraceptives for the figures. Li Ying, a professor at Peking University cited a survey that showed fewer than 30 percent of young people who called a hospital hotline knew "how to avoid" pregnancy. "Sex education needs to be strengthened, with universities and our society giving more guidance," she said. (LifeSiteNews.Com)

The Chinese cultural preference for sons, combined with the state’s longstanding one-child policy, has resulted in the wide usage of sex selective abortions, the end result of which is that there are now 32 million more Chinese boys than girls under 20 and this imbalance that is expected to widen over the next 20 years.

Recently, the financial centre of Shanghai, the country's largest city with a population of just under 19 million, is reportedly independently relaxing the one child rule. Officials announced last week that couples should consider having a second child to offset the aging of the overall population.
"We advocate eligible couples to have two kids, because it can help to reduce the proportion of the aging people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future," according to Xie Linli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission.

Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute and a renowned China expert, says that Shanghai's purported “relaxation” of the one-child policy is hardly that, and represents little for most of the citizens of China.

“Shanghai has long had very low birthrates,” says Mosher, who goes on to explain that 15 years ago, the head of Shanghai's one-child policy was actually having trouble getting people under her jurisdiction to accept a quota for one child, much less for two. “This official couldn't fill her quotas for births," he says. “People didn't want more than one child. Some of the time, they didn't even want one.”

“This explains Shanghai's recent move to a `two-child policy',” says Mosher. “By letting the minority who still want two children to act on their preferences, this will help offset the birth dearth caused by the majority who want only one—or none. The result will still be a de facto one-child policy.” As for the rest of the country of China, Mosher says, “our investigations show that the one-child policy is still being pursued with a vengeance, a vengeance that includes forced abortions.”

Thursday, July 30, 2009

More on Ireland's Crisis Pregnancy Agency

I wrote recently about the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in Ireland which, as part of the cutbacks in health spending, is to be subsumed into the Department of Health. It seems that the Agency now consists of fourteen agencies that, with the exception of Life and Cura, offer abortion as an ‘option’ to pregnant women. This, of course, is in direct contradiction of the mandate under which the Agency was established. It is to be hoped that if, and when, Life and Cura are directly under the umbrella of the Department of Health and its various sub-agencies such as the Health Service Executive (who have been responsible for bringing many young girls under their ‘care’ to the UK to have their unborn children aborted), they will be allowed to maintain the pro-life ethos and principles which – until now – they have promoted.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Motherhood at all costs?


A very sad and disturbing programme was aired on Britain’s Channel 4 television last week. The title of the programme was ‘The World’s Oldest Mums’, and it gave the stories of three women who gave birth and one woman who was prepared to go to any lengths to give birth to a baby. What made these women unusual was the fact that all four of them were far beyond the natural age at which a woman gives birth. One of the women, an Englishwoman, was determined – at the age of 72 – to bear a child (whose parents would be unknown) through IVF. She felt that the time was now ‘right’ for her to do so, and although she found it difficult to walk, and her house did not appear to be the ideal place in which to raise a child, nevertheless she relentlessly (and unsuccessfully) pursued her wish in various fertility clinics (both in the UK and abroad).

A second woman, a 70-year-old Indian, bore a child (whose father, it appeared, was the husband of the woman), again through IVF. It seems that in the area of India in which the woman lives, not to have given birth to a child is looked upon as a stigma. As a result, a childless woman would go to any length, even to the extent of selling the family cattle, in order to avail of the IVF services being made available.

The third woman, from Spain, had looked after her 101-year-old mother until her death, and then decided that she wanted, at the age of 69, to fulfil her wish of giving birth. Again, with the assistance of IVF, the woman bore twin boys (father and mother unknown). She was obviously genuinely devoted to the two beautiful little boys, but as time passed she found it more and more difficult to care for them. Eventually, when the children were about two years old she died of cancer, and her brother took over their care.

Finally, an American woman (age unstated, but who was obviously long past the normal child-bearing age), following IVF, gave birth to twin girls, whose father was her second husband. The girls were now in their teens, and although it hadn’t bothered them unduly up to now, they always realised that their ‘Mom’ appeared to be somewhat older than the mothers of their peers.

A newspaper ‘promo’ for the programme ends with this question: And, what about the rights of the unborn child?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Irish Medical Times advertises abortion


The Irish Medical Times has recently started to publish ads for Marie Stopes International, which is one of the major British abortion businesses.(Family and Life report) When contacted about the advertisement, the editor of the IMT, Terence Cosgrave, claimed that he had no control over who advertises in the journal and that the IMT ‘cannot dictate to our advertisers who will advertise what, where and when.’ Not even if the aim of the advertiser is to provide for the killing of a human being – in this case, the unborn child?

We are asking you to contact the publisher of the Irish Medical Times immediately to express – politely, but as strongly as possible – your objections to the fact that the IMT is providing and supporting a platform for abortionists to advertise in Ireland. Please write to David Kelly, publisher of the Irish Medical Times at: david.kelly@imt.ie, or you can phone him at: 00353-1-8176380 (from outside Ireland), or 01-8176380 (within Ireland). Alternatively, you can write a letter to him at: Irish Medical Times, 24-26 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin 7.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Conference

Just a quick reminder that there are still places available for the SPUC National Conference on 4-6 September. High-profile speakers include Bobby Schindler (Terri Schiavo's brother) and Jack Wilke, the father of the US pro-life movement. For more information, check out John Smeaton's blog.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Nothing dignified about Dignitas


Large quantities of human ash dumped into Lake Zürich, a young man forced to pay for a fatal prescription he didn't want to use, drab, poorly furnished death rooms and neighbours complaining about having to share their tenement lift with a steady stream of dead bodies... and one man making a great deal of money out of vulnerable people's despair. This is the picture being given of the Dignitas suicide clinic in Switzerland run by Ludwig Minelli. I have already posted on the interview a former Dignitas employee gave to a British newspaper earlier in the year.

Now, Daniel Gall, a man who accompanied a relative to the clinic for an assisted suicide, is writing a book about the "sinister place" in which his sister died.

One story I do not remember reading in the original Daily Mail interview, but which is quoted here is the occasion when a young man was talked out of suicide by Soraya Wernli when she was still employed by Dignitas. According to her, Minelli was "very cross" with her for encouraging the boy to live. So much for encouraging autonomy and freedom of choice.

Pro-euthanasia groups sometimes claim that decriminalising assisted dying would stop people like Minelli profiting from vulnerable people seeking to end their lives, but what it would actually do is to ensure that many more unscrupulous individuals were given the chance to do exactly the same thing without fear of prosecution. Ludwig Minelli's shabby little suicide clinic is a warning to every government in the world to strengthen laws against assisted suicide and to protect the most vulnerable members of society.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Nurse forced to participate in abortion

A Catholic nurse whose pro-life views were well-known to hospital authorities, was threatened with disciplinary action if she refused to participate in a late-term abortion. The Alliance Defence Fund is fighting her legal case against the Mount Sinai hospital, New York, as in the ADF's words, the action was "illegal, unethical, and violates her rights of conscience. Federal law requires that employers who receive funding from tax dollars must not compel employees to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, but this nurse’s objections fell on deaf ears.”

It is a scandal that medical professionals are being threatened in this way in a supposedly free country, but as the ADF warn, there may be many others we do not know about who are being forced by unscrupulous hospitals to involve themselves in unethical procedures. If abortion advocates really believed the mantra of 'choice' they chant, they would never allow doctors and nurses to be punished for choosing not to participate in the killing of the innocent. I look forward to hearing a spokesman for Planned Parenthood condemn the shameful treatment of this nurse.

Friday, July 24, 2009

German Court decision was a fundamental rejection of the Lisbon Treaty


The German Constitutional Court in what has become known as the Karlsruhe judgement issued a remarkable verdict on 30 June and while the international media presented it as approval of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, careful reading of the judgement shows that it is a fundamental rejection of the core constitutional content of the Treaty. So writes former MEP Jens Peter Bonde in a hard hitting article in euobserver.com

The Karlsruhe Court according to Bonde;
“effectively finds that the Lisbon Treaty would increase the EU's widely acknowledged democratic deficit if its ratification is not linked to the adoption of internal procedures at Member State level such as to safeguard the involvement of the National Parliaments and voters in each Member State. The verdict applies only to Germany, of course. But it has significant implications for all Member States, including those which have already approved and ratified the Lisbon Treaty”.

“If Germany's ratification of the Lisbon Treaty is found to be illegal and in contravention of basic democratic principles, in the absence of such parliamentary controls, should not the same principle apply in all other Member States that claim to be democracies”?


According to Bonde, "The Karlsruhe judgement should inspire people to call for similar constitutional and parliamentary challenges in other EU countries. This may establish strengthened procedures for national parliamentary control and safeguard areas where national parliamentary democracies can decide things on their own without interference from, for example, the EU Court of Justice."

ELN Comment
The Irish Government, in opposition to the decision of the Irish people who rejected Lisbon precisely for some of the reasons presented in the Karlsruhe judgement, is forging ahead with a new Referendum. The new Referendum has been arranged despite the fact that not one comma of the Treaty has been changed.

The Karlsruhe decision has established an important legal principle maybe it will take a similar legal challenge in the Irish Courts to bring the Irish Government to its senses.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Death of Kerry Conway one of recently born sextuplets


We reported in June miracle of childbirth and sextuplets "gift from God" on the birth of sextuplets to a Northern Ireland couple Austin and Nuala Conway from Co Tyrone.

The babies were conceived naturally and were delivered 14 weeks prematurely, by caesarean section. Sadly we now report that one of the babies Kerrie has died. Kerrie was one of the strongest of the babies and had been transferred from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast to a local Hospital according to Max Clifford the publicist representing the family see BBC news report.

The family are in our thoughts and prayers and it is to be hoped that the other babies Ursula, Austin, Shannon Karla and Eoghan, all of whom are reported to be doing well, will continue to thrive.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Crisis Pregnancy Agency 2008 report


The publication of the CPA’s annual report for 2008 (Irish Times July 21st) shows a continued decrease in the number of women travelling to Britain for abortions.

Whilst it is good to see the numbers of Irish women seeking abortion in the UK falling this has little to do with the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) which has consistently portrayed abortion as a positive option and continues to fund agencies that that are affiliated to and financially supported by, international abortion providers, that claim their counselling is non directive but at the same time provide information on foreign abortion clinics.

The drop in the numbers of women seeking abortion is due rather to the excellent and highly professional services of pro-life agencies. Clearly the CPA focus on reducing the number of so called “crisis pregnancies” is not the same as that of agencies that seek to protect the life and health of both mother and baby by giving women comprehensive information, denied to them by pro-abortion agencies, such as the possible physical and mental effects of abortion.

Ever since it was set up in 2001 we have called for the CPA to be wound up and now finally it appears that this will happen, the press conference noted that the agency will cease to exist and its mandate will be subsumed into the Health Services Executive (HSE). It is to be hoped that this change will bring about the badly needed reform of the agency

Rogue Agencies
The CPA also announced a billboard campaign against what they describe as “rogue agencies”. The campaign against agencies not under the umbrella of the CPA was initiated by pro-abortion counselling agencies and supported by the media. Abortion is illegal in Ireland and pro-abortion agencies deplore the success of pro-life agencies that dont provide information on foreign abortion clinics. Whilst it is not surprising that the CPA would support this viewpoint it is particularly disappointing that Irish Health Minister Mary Harney has taken the pro-abortion side.

Philomena Buckley of Neart when asked for her views on the issue said,
“Surely if an agency is assisting in saving the lives of babies by giving mothers to be, proper information and at the same time reducing the demand for abortion this is something the CPA and the Minister should welcome, unless of course there is another agenda".


Who are the real rogue agencies?
• The real rogue agencies are those that are affiliated to, and/or financially
supported by international abortion providers.
• The real rogue agencies are those that do not accept the right to life of innocent unborn children
• The real rogue agencies are those that fail to advise women of the possible physical and mental effects of abortion but nevertheless claim their counselling is non directive.
• The real rogue agencies are those that ignore the wishes of the vast majority of the Irish people and Ireland’s constitutional prohibition on abortion.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

IPPF funding Irish Family Planning Association


A colleague of mine who has been doing a bit of research on abortion funding has found that the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) received a grant of 146,807 US dollars from the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) – according to its financial statement for 2008. In the same period, the Family Planning Association in Northern Ireland received a sum of 68,586 US dollars from the IPPF. The IPPF, as we all know, is the biggest provider and promoter of abortion worldwide.

The IFPA (the Irish affiliate of the IPPF) is the organisation which is supporting the three women (known as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’) who have taken Ireland to the European Court of Human Rights because they were unable to obtain an abortion in Ireland. The claim of the three women against Ireland will shortly be heard before a full hearing of the grand chamber of seventeen judges of the ECHR.

A decision on the part of the ECHR is considered to be binding on the State involved. A ruling by the same court within the last few years, in the ‘Tysiac’ case, resulted in Poland being instructed to guarantee access to legal abortions.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Clinical euphemisms for murder


A female colleague contacted me in tears the other day after stumbling across a webpage on the site of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She had been conducting some research into attitudes towards late-term abortion and came across the following passage:

For all terminations at gestational age of more than 21 weeks and 6 days, the method chosen should ensure that the fetus is born dead. This should be undertaken by an appropriately trained practitioner. Intracardiac potassium chloride is the recommended method and the dose chosen should ensure that fetal asystole has been achieved. It should be confirmed by observing the fetal heart by an ultrasound scan for five minutes. Additionally, it is mandatory to confirm asystole by an ultrasound scan 30-60 minutes after the procedure, and definitely before the patient leaves hospital. Consideration can be given to abolishing fetal movements by the instillation of anaesthetic and/or muscle relaxant agents immediately prior to potassium chloride administration.


What really distressed her was the cold, clinical manner in which the killing of a baby is described in the passage. What it is essentially saying is: "Make sure you definitely kill the little mite so it won't inconvenience anybody by taking a breath outside the womb. Best way is to inject deadly poison into the baby's heart, a nice big dose to make absolutely sure it dies. Check the ultrasound for any whimper of life just to make sure you really have killed it."

"Don't these doctors have a functioning conscience?" she said, "if they're educated enough to be trained obstetricians, can they honestly not see that they are killing babies?"

I think the answer to those two questions is 1) NO and 2) YES. It simply cannot be possible for a doctor to perform a late-term abortion or indeed any abortion and not realise the gravity of what he is doing. That is what the clinical euphemisms are for, but no number of euphemisms for murder, no repetition of the word 'fetus', can create enough distance between baby and doctor to conceal the horrific reality of what abortion involves. It is little wonder that some abortionists admit to having nightmares about little babies clinging to the walls of the womb.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Hospice Consultation



The Irish Hospice Foundation (4th Floor, Morrison Chambers, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2, Ireland) is inviting submissions for a ‘Public Consultation on Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals’.

Members of the public, hospital user groups, health and social care providers, professional and staff organisations and statutory agencies are welcome to make known their views on how to support and enhance the provision of high-quality end-of-life care within all hospital settings, but particularly in the acute care setting.

Submissions should be made by Friday, 31 July 2009.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

EU split over Abortion Language at UN Meeting


Ministers of UN member-states, last week by consensus, adopted a declaration on global public health, after tough negotiations which involved two marathon late-night sessions, and during which Ireland, Poland and Malta held out against strongly pro-abortion language proposed by the US and other EU member states.

The US together with some EU member-states, collaborating with the international pro-abortion lobby, attempted to include the phrase sexual and reproductive health services and rights in the declaration, language that some interpret to include abortion. Malta, Poland, Ireland and the Holy see, assisted by pro-life experts, resisted the attempt and the final declaration contained no new pro-abortion rights language.

During the high level segment of the conference Malta made a statement in the plenary session on Thursday which reiterated the nation's ongoing commitment to supporting the life of the unborn:
"[W]e wish to reiterate our strong opposition to the use of abortion as a means through which issues relating to sexual and reproductive health may be dealt with. Any discussion of rights in connection with reproductive health cannot take place outside the framework of one of the most fundamental human rights - the right to life. Malta strongly believes that the right to life extends to the unborn child from the moment of conception, and that therefore the use of abortion as a means of resolving health or social problems was a denial of that right. Termination of pregnancy through induced abortion is illegal in Malta. Consequently we consistently disassociate ourselves from, and consider invalid, all statements or decisions that use references to sexual and reproductive health, directly or indirectly, to impose obligations on anyone to accept abortion as a right, a service or a commodity that may exist outside the ambit of national legislation. We do so again at this meeting."


The outcome was a victory for life and for the family. States with a pro-abortion agenda should realise and accept that there is no agreement among either EU or UN member-states to recognise a right to abortion. In fact, such a right is impossible, as the right to life of unborn children is upheld in international human rights law, which needs to be interpreted correctly by nation-states.

Roadshow for Life


Following my post last week about the Rally for Life in Dublin – it is estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 people took part in it. The organisers were very happy with the success of the day, and it is hoped that next year’s Rally for Life – planned to take place in Belfast – will give political leaders and legislators a clear message that they must respect life at every stage from fertilisation to natural death.

With regard to the Dublin Rally, it was noticeable that the major newspapers, together with RTÉ (the national television station) chose to ignore the event. However, the organisers were delighted with the coverage that the Rally received on internet sites worldwide. Thankfully, the mainstream media is no longer able to censor stories it doesn't like very much.

Never ones to rest for long, many of the young people involved with the Rally are now travelling around Ireland – from 8 to 18 July – on their annual Roadshow, bringing to towns and cities across the country the message that life must be respected.

More information, and plenty of photographs, can be found here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Pell funding adult stem cell research


The Sydney Archdiocese is reported to be offering a $100,000 grant to scientists who wish to carry out adult stem cell research. This is a very important gesture by the Catholic Church in Australia, as it makes the point that to be pro-life is not to be anti-science, it is to embrace ethical scientific research and where possible to promote and fund it.

H/T to Father Ray Blake

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Moore on Life, Choice and Population


h/t to Kate for linking to this article by Charles Moore, former editor of the Daily Telegraph and current columnist. He makes the case for having children astutely and persuasively without once descending into sentimentalism or ranting - two dangerously tempting positions when talking about a subject as emotionally charged as having children. His concluding comments were particularly interesting, if a little unnerving:

So what on earth will happen to my generation when we lie dying without the help of the children we somehow convinced ourselves we should not have? All we shall have is the comfort of strangers – nurses from cultures which, unlike our own, had the sense to think more of the future than the present.


And yes, as is only to be expected in an article published in a British newspaper, at least one commentator dismisses his common sense approach as "Catholic doctrinalism" (amazing what you can turn into an ism these days, isn't it?)

Monday, July 13, 2009

Violence against pro-lifers

Check out this video of a police interview following an incident involving pro-life demonstrators being threatened by an armed man outside an abortion facility. I have this sneaking suspicion The Guardian won't be rushing to report it.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Canadian Catholic Charities and Abortion



Unfortunately, this is not the first time a Catholic charity has been caught involving itself with pro-abortion groups in Latin America. Progressio (UK) which advertises itself at Southwark Cathedral and is listed in the Catholic Directory, was exposed by SPUC last year as working with partners such as Las Dignas.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Malta speaks out in Geneva


During a debate here in Geneva on the impact of current global trends on development, including public health, Poland and Malta made excellent statements in defence of life. Both countries highlighted their commitment to reducing maternal mortality worldwide, but emphasised that this could not and should not be tackled using the evil of abortion. Malta's statement was particularly strong. Victor Camillari stated:

“we wish to reiterate our strong opposition to the use of abortion as a means through which issues relating to sexual and reproductive health may be dealt with. Any discussion of rights in connection with reproductive health cannot take place outside the framework of one of the most fundamental human rights – the right to life. Malta strongly believes that the right to life extends to the unborn child from the moment of conception, and that therefore the use of abortion as a means of resolving health or social problems was a denial of that right.

Termination of pregnancy through induced abortion is illegal in Malta. Consequently we consistently disassociate ourselves from, and consider invalid, all statements or decisions that use references to sexual and reproductive health, directly or indirectly, to impose obligations on anyone to accept abortion as a right, a service or a commodity that may exist outside the ambit of national legislation. We do so again at this meeting.”


It is worth noting that Malta has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in Europe and also one of the lowest in the world. And it achieves this by providing an excellent healthcare service to pregnant women. Whilst maternal mortality rates are increasing in Britain, a considerably wealthier country than Malta, Maltese women enjoy a level of maternity care that is the envy of the world. Maternal health has never been dependent upon the availability of abortion, it is dependent upon the commitment of governments to care for women.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Britain could learn from China?


The Chinese official whose job it is to implement the One-Child Policy, has suggested that Britain could adopt a similar policy to combat climate change. I hope that even police state Britain will not be foolish enough to adopt a policy that would see the state take control of every single woman's fertility and legitimise the systematic persecution and abuse of women in the name of reducing a nation's carbon footprint.

Pro-life and civil liberties groups in Britain need to remain vigilant about this sort of green terrorism. It is a very bad sign that whenever it is suggested that such a policy should be imposed upon the women of Britain, the story tends to be reported in the media entirely uncritically without a word of condemnation from lawyers, doctors, feminists or civil liberties campaigners. Dr Baige Zhao is quite correct. Britain can learn from China's experience of the one-child policy. Learn from it and ensure that such inhumane legislation is never passed in Britain.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Archbishop Sobrinho's Resignation

Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop’s Resignation Accepted under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation is how Life Site News tells us that Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the Metropolitan archbishop of Olinda and Recife, has tendered his resignation as archbishop to Pope Benedict, and that his resignation has been accepted. The Vatican announcement says that the resignation was accepted as the archbishop has ‘reached the age limit’.

The media vilified the archbishop due to the stance that he took in relation to the tragic case of the nine-year-old Brazilian girl who had been raped by her step-father, resulting in her becoming pregnant with twins. The priest involved in looking after the family, and the archbishop, did everything in their power to work with the family and the little girl to help them, and also to try to save the lives of the unborn twins. However, an international abortion lobby group was urging the family to have the babies aborted – using the situation as ‘a golden opportunity’ to press for the legalisation of abortion in Brazil.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Rally for Life


Grey clouds filled the sky, the rain came and went and came again. Yet, despite all of this, groups of people from all over Ireland started to gather at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin last Saturday for the Rally for Life. A sea of umbrellas was to be seen, and buggies and prams were hastily covered over to keep out the rain. People who had not met for some time greeted each other, and there was a great air of happiness and camaraderie. Then, busloads of people arrived, and more and more people - from all walks of life, young and old – appeared out of nowhere, it seemed. Soon there was a sea of red and yellow placards, and banners, and in the shelter of a motorised stage a group of young musicians from the U.S. played some lively airs.

Suddenly (and I mean suddenly), the clouds parted, and the sun shone out from a clear blue sky. The sun remained shining for the rest of the afternoon while the great crowd walked down through Dublin city centre and halted in Molesworth Street – facing Dáil Éireann (the parliament house) – where they were addressed by a number of eminent speakers. (Further details will be posted at a later date). The event was a marvellous success, and it is hoped that the Rally for Life in 2010, which is planned to take place in Belfast, will be equally successful – if not more so.

The only jarring note of the afternoon came from a very few pro-abortion people who, at one point, shouted obscenities at the Rally participants as they passed through the city centre. Ah well, it is good to be reminded that they don't have any rational arguments on their side.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Bad news for Malta


According to Fr Z, Obama has decided to insult the Maltese people by appointing Douglas Kmiec U.S. ambassador to the island. Malta is one of the last pro-life bastions of Europe - what a coincidence that Obama should have decided to send in a man who has done so much damage in his own country as a Catholic apologist for Obama.

One commentator wrote in Fr Z's combox:

Why is this happening? I do not think Kmiec will like Malta, nor do I think that the Maltese will like him. They are highly intelligent, shrewd people who know a horse from a mule.


Quite. I have a huge amount of respect for the Maltese people, with their history of heroism and self-sacrifice in defending the Truth, but the most dangerous enemies are the ones you cannot easily spot. The Maltese can certainly tell a horse from a mule. I just hope they see this wolf in sheep's clothing for what he is.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

THE INCREASING COST OF SLAUGHTERING THE INNOCENTS


An interesting exchange took place in the House of Commons on July 2nd when a Labour MP asked the Secretary of State for Health how much medical services assigned to the termination of pregnancies under the Abortion Act 1967 cost the NHS in each of the last five years; and what estimate has been made of the cost of such services in 2009-10.

In response Gillian Merron produced a table showing the total cost of abortions undertaken by the British national health service organisations between 2003-04 and 2007-08, being the latest five years for which information is available.

The figures showed a significant year on year increase from £69.4 million in 2003-04 to a whopping £84.1 Million in 2007-08 representing a 20% increase on the 2003-04 level.

It appears however that this not the total cost of all publicly funded abortions because the figures do not include abortions performed by private sector organisations under contract to the NHS.

No estimate has apparently been made for the cost of NHS abortions in 2009-10.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Irish guarantees "do not change the Lisbon Treaty" and are not legally-binding: Glenys Kinnock


The Irish Government have hailed, as an important victory, the agreement of the EU heads of state to give Ireland special guarantees in respect of the Lisbon Treaty however, according to British Europe Minister Glenys Kinnock the so called guarantees are not legally binding.

In a debate in the Lords yesterday, Glenys Kinnock confirmed that Ireland will be voting on exactly the same text of the Lisbon Treaty a second time around. She said: "Those guarantees do not change the Lisbon treaty; the European Council conclusions are very clear on them. The Lisbon treaty, as debated and decided by our Parliament, will not be changed and, on the basis of these guarantees, Ireland will proceed to have a second referendum in October." She added: "Nothing in the treaty will change and nothing in the guarantees will change the treaty as your Lordships agreed it."

When asked about the legal status of the 'guarantees', she confirmed that they will not be legally-binding until they are written into the EU treaties as a protocol, which will happen after the Irish referendum. She said: "My Lords, what we have in the guarantees will become binding in international law when the guarantees are translated into a protocol at the time of the next accession, which presumably will be when Croatia or Iceland comes in. Before that protocol can be ratified by the UK, Parliament must pass a Bill. As I said, Parliament will rightly have the final say."

During questions at the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee this morning,Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed that "Every head of state agrees that these guarantees do not change the Treaty."

Friday, July 3, 2009

Thursday, July 2, 2009

SPUC granted judicial review of Northern Ireland's guidance on abortion

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC Northern Ireland ), report that the High Court in Belfast has granted an application to SPUC for a judicial review of the Northern Ireland health department's guidance on abortion.

Mr Justice Weatherup allowed the application on the grounds that the department had erred in law in its view of the law on abortion in Northern Ireland, as summarised in the guidance, that the guidance is misleading and/or does not accurately portray the law on abortion in Northern Ireland and in publishing the guidance in its present form the Department was mistaken in a number of significant ways

Liam Gibson of SPUC Northern Ireland said: "We are very grateful to have the opportunity to present the issues that were not properly examined during the consultation, particularly the recommendations of the Stormont health committee. We hope that the department will now be reasonable and redraft the guidance which were fundamentally flawed and need radical revision."

It is understood that the health department have been given until Sept 1st to reply and all other respondants must reply before September 30th. the case has been scheduled for October 27-28.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

REMINDER, REMINDER, REMINDER !

The Rally for Life 2009 will take place in Dublin on Saturday, 4 July.
Please gather at 2 p.m. at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
(Mass at 1 p.m. in St. Saviour’s Church, Dominick Street, Dublin 1, will precede the Rally)

The Rally for Life will be a great celebration of Life, whilst at the same time sending an important message to Ireland’s political leaders to Keep Ireland Abortion Free. Please make a big effort to join in the Rally for Life on Saturday.

Further information is available on the Rally for Life website