Chen Guangcheng and his wife Yuan Weijing are a remarkably courageous couple. With their six-year-old daughter they have languished for years as prisoners in their home in Shandong province, China.
This week, Independent TD Clare Daly will introduce a Private Members Bill in the Dáil which would legalise abortion in Ireland. The bill has no chance of becoming law, but will provide an opportunity for TDs to speak out on the issue of abortion. This will lay the groundwork for the debate that will unfold after the government's 'expert group' on abortion reports in July.
The government has approved the establishment of an “expert group” to advise it on how to respond to the ECHR decision in ABC v. Ireland. There is a very real danger that the Labour Party, aided by pro-abortion elements within Fine Gael will hijack this process and stack the group with pro-abortion “experts”, whose recommendations will, predictably, push Ireland towards legalised abortion.
At a recent meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, six national delegations urged Ireland to legalise abortion. Norway, the UK, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, and the Netherlands all urged Ireland to make changes to its abortion laws. The Irish government has rejected all six demands, but the episode is a classic example of how pro-abortion governments attempt to bully (usually small or impoverished) pro-life nations into changing their laws. It also illustrates the efforts being made to reinterpret international conventions on human rights to create a "right" to abortion.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is sponsoring a Masterclass for healthcare professionals on abortion. Orginally entitled “Termination of pregnancy: A lawful choice”, it has been renamed “Termination: Dealing with complex issues,” following complaints pointing out that abortion is not lawful in Ireland. It seems, however, that nothing but the title has been changed. The session still features a presentation by Sherie de Burgh, a veteran of the pro-abortion IFPA.
Block the Internet Abortionists
Irish women facing crisis pregnancies continue to be targeted by a website which is illegally sending abortion drugs into Ireland. In 2009, 1216 packages of these deadly drugs were seized by Irish Customs officers. No one knows how many more went undetected.
The report 'Your Rights - Right Now' is being submitted to the Universal Periodic Review which will examine Ireland's compliance with the UN Convention on Human Rights in October. The document calls for legalised abortion in Ireland and will be used by pro-abortion groups like the IFPA to put pressure on the Irish government.
In three simple steps you can send the petition (below) to the Fine Gael team negotiating a Programme for Government. Your petition reminds Fine
Gael of their pro-life promise and asks them to resist pressure to compromise on the rights of the unborn.
Sign the petition below and send it to your local election candidate. Simply select your constituency from the map and a list of candidates from your constituency will appear. Your action today can help keep Ireland safe for unborn children and their mothers!