Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New push for abortion by some Irish politicians unwelcome

Various political statements have been made on behalf of Irish political parties following the recent judgement by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the A, B and C case.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore in a recent disingenuous statement said that the Irish parliament must implement legal abortion “where the life or health of the mother is at risk.” The Labour party’s position is that the permission for abortion must be expanded to include the woman’s “health.”
Gilmore told RTÉ, Ireland’s public radio broadcaster, “The court was very clear that Ireland was out of kilter [in terms of] human rights."

Gilmore's statement is aimed at introducing abortion on demand in Ireland despite the fact that the ECtHR said there was no human right to abortion in the convention and that Ireland's constitutional protection of the unborn ‘struck a fair balance’ between the mother’s right to respect for her private live and the rights invoked on behalf of the unborn.

The first major opinion poll following the announcement by Gilmore showed a significant drop in support for the Labour Party which clearly shows the widespread public revulsion at the new policy