The right to life is non negotiable

Fundamental human rights such as the right-to-life are non-negotiable. The right to life can never be subject to a vote.  The very idea of casting votes on who should be allowed to live and who should die is anathema.

Based on sound science, human embryos, from the moment of fertilisation, are new living human beings.  To use the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 we are all members of the “human family”.

From the moment of fertilisation we all share a common humanity and human embryos are equal members of the species homo sapiens and each stage of development is equal in value to every other stage.

There is a connection between the self-interest of certain communities and the line to be drawn between recognition of persons and non-persons.  That self-interest may be driven by eugenic, economic, social or political factors such that those a society wishes to exclude are deemed to be non-persons.  History is replete with examples of this phenomenon.

However cleverly the arguments are presented the taking of a human life the killing of a human being is a heinous crime it is called murder. The killing of the most vulnerable human beings, unborn babies is the most heinous of crimes and and we call on all elected members of the Oireachtas to outrightly reject all demands for the holding of a referendum on the right to life of unborn babies

Holding such a referendum would open the way for the elimination of the legal protection of the right-to-life and, consequently, to the killing of many of Ireland’s unborn children by abortion.

Accordingly a petition is being circulated to the general public for signature and will ultimately be sent to all members of the Oireachtas appealing to them on behalf of the people of Ireland to reject all calls to hold a referendum on the repeal, or alteration, of the pro-life Eighth Amendment.

To access the appeal click on the following link

  http://www.nodeath.ie

ELN submission to Citizens' Assembly

European Life Network in a submission to the Citizens' Assembly has appealed for the retention of the 8th amendment and has included a link to the video prepared in conjunction with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children as set out below

Appeal to uphold and cherish the 8^th Amendment: with video link

European Life Network calls on the Citizens’ Assembly to uphold the 8th Amendment and reject all attempts to legalise the killing of unborn children. In support of this appeal, we have prepared a video presentation (produced in partnership with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) featuring Irish people, and people of Irish descent, with specialised knowledge and personal experience of these issues. We ask the Assembly to view this video, available here: 

https://www.spuc.org.uk/news/videos/new/2016/november/act-now-protect-ireland-pro-life-8th-amendment

Despite false claims, the 8th Amendment simply recognises that unborn babies have a right to life equal to that of their mothers. Ireland’s maternal health record, among the best in the world, also reflects the fact that Irish doctors are trained to treat a mother and her unborn child as two equal patients. 

In this presentation, Raymond Cardinal Burke argues that a clause similar to the 8th Amendment should be in the constitution of every nation. He notes the dedication of Ireland’s Constitution to “the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom, is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred”. Through this dedication, Ireland provides a great example of a correctly ordered society.

Dr Patrick Fagan (Director of Marriage and Religion Research Institute) argues that when a nation starts to eliminate pain and suffering by eliminating people, there is no logical place to draw a line. Even limited relaxation of abortion law leads inevitably to widespread abortion. In the UK, the Abortion Act 1967, was not intended to introduce abortion on demand. Fifty years on, more than 8.4 million babies have been aborted. 

Evidence shows that abortion is physically and psychologically damaging, no matter where it takes place. Bernadette Goulding (Director of Rachel’s Vineyard, Ireland) who had an abortion herself, describes the trauma millions of women around the world have experienced following abortion. 

Former MEP’s Dana Rosemary Scallon and Kathy Sinnott highlight the huge international pressure on Ireland to introduce abortion.

Kathy Sinnott contrasts the terminal decline of European states as a result of low birthrates with the situation in Ireland. The repeal of the 8th Amendment would propel Ireland towards a similar demographic collapse. She also argues that seeking to dispose of children with life-limiting conditions or serious disabilities is modern day eugenics. 

Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived in a violent rape, challenges the inherent injustice of punishing innocent babies for the crimes of their biological fathers.

Cliona Johnson tells the heart-rending story of her son John Paul who lived 17 minutes after birth. Their story offers a truthful and inspiring account of authentic compassion for the most vulnerable of all – unborn babies deemed “incompatible with life”.

Finally, the video calls on the Irish diaspora to speak out now and to encourage the nation to maintain its pro-life culture that is identified and admired worldwide.

Conference, November 12th, Royal Marine Hotel Dunlaoghaire: Protect and Cherish the 8th Amendment

RTE found to be in breach of BAI standards following public complaints on their handling of the abortion issue

BLOG POST  by Marie Cummins

 

When will RTE adhere to the broadcasting laws of fairness and impartiality when dealing with the issue of abortion? Over the past six months, Ray D’Arcy, who presents an afternoon radio show for RTE, has twice been found to be in breach of the Broadcasting Authority if Ireland (BAI) standards in dealing with the issue of abortion and the right to life of unborn babies. 

The BAI decisions were handed down following a number of complaints by members of the public that D’Arcy’s handling of abortion was one-sided and biased. See articles in the Journal and the Irish Independent.

The first case arose during a programme on June 9^th last year when D’Arcy interviewed Amnesty International’s Colm O’Gorman, in relation to the group’s pro-abortion report ‘She is not a criminal: The impact of Ireland’s abortion law’.  Following that interview  six complaints were lodged with the BAI on the basis that the programme was clearly in breach of Section 39 (1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009, which stipulates that ‘all news broadcast is reported and presented in an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of the broadcaster's own views’.

Recently another complaint was issued to the BAI following D’Arcy’s interview of creator of Father Ted, Graham Linehan and his wife Helen, on 19 October of last year, regarding their experience of abortion. The interview focused on the fact that at 12 weeks gestation their baby had been diagnosed as having a so called ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ and on their subsequent decision to have an abortion. The Linehans who were living in England at the time took part in an Amnesty International video, the purpose of which was to remove all remaining barriers to, and decriminalise abortion, in Ireland. The BAI upheld both complaints in separate rulings and ruled that the radio programmes did not meet the requirements for ‘fairness, impartiality and objectivity'.

Both programmes were blatant attacks on Ireland's pro-life laws and in particular on the Eight Amendment of the Constitution, which grants an equal right to life to a mother and her unborn child. These programmes were presented by D’Arcy during a period when the pro-abortion lobby is working hard to overturn Ireland’s protection of the unborn and he failed to provide balance by inviting someone to present a pro-life view, neither did he adequately challenge the position of the guests on the show. On the contrary he seemed to be in agreement with them and gave them a very soft interview.

The whole affair raises a number of poignant questions . First, why were there no balancing views during the programmes, there are a number of groups such as ‘one day more’ whose members have experienced similar heartbreak as the Linehans but carried their babies to term?

Another critical question relates to the interview with the Linehans and we ask, if pro -life people came on the air, would they be given the same soft approach?

Probably not.

The Irish media in general appears to have embraced pro-abortion stance and seem to waste no opportunity in promoting their views. The position of RTE however is somewhat different to the media in general, in that they receive public funding and it is incumbent on them therefore to be more careful about the presentation of one-sided views on critical issues such as this.

It is high time that RTE are taken to task about their broadcasting policies and their monitoring of individual programmes when dealing with the issue of abortion if they are to continue to receive public funding.

It is also clear that the time has come for RTE to take action in regard to Ray D’Arcy.