New Attack on Unborn Babies in Ireland

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In a new attack on the unborn in Ireland Independent TD Clare Daly is to introduce a private members bill in the Dáil (Irish Parliament) to allow for abortion in the case of fatal foetal abnormality.

--> This proposal comes just one week after a group of Irish women undertook a new attempt to broaden the basis on which terminations of pregnancy may be obtained in Ireland. The women who decided to abort their babies in the UK, following a diagnosis of fetal abnormality are taking a case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee with the assistance of an international pro-abortion law firm the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR). 

The Irish Times reports that the Government will not oppose the introduction of the Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) Bill.

Ms Daly claimed without any evidence that 90 per cent of Irish people believed a pregnancy should be ended where the abnormality was such that the foetus could not survive outside the womb, “and also claimed that the only argument against it is the unpublished opinion of the Attorney General, whom we are are told says it would be unconstitutional”.
On the contrary it could be said the vast majority of Irish people are pro-life and would not agree with this approach. What is clearly necessary is proper care during pregnancy and perinatal hospice care.

According to the Irish Times, Daly said that other legal experts including a former attorney general disagreed with her expressed view and said. “The only way to resolve the conflict is to introduce legislation and have the Supreme Court adjudicate it”.

Ms Daly also claimed the previous attorney general had argued before the European Court of Human Rights that there was a tenable argument that the issue should be considered by domestic courts on the grounds that the foetus was not unborn for the purposes of article 40.3.3 of the Constitution.
This is clearly an incorrect interpretation of the Irish Constitution.