Obituary Dr. Robert Walley 1 Sep 2020 7:21 AM (5 years ago)

We at European Life Network (ELN) have noted with great sadness the passing of our friend and colleague Dr. Robert (Rob) Walley, founder of MaterCare International, a pro-life international organization of Catholic health professionals dedicated to the care of mothers and babies. Rob died of cancer on June 22 at ST JOHN’S, Newfoundland he was 81.

Rob is survived by his wife Susan, three daughters, four sons and 15 grandchildren, according to his online obituary.

“Robert has an extraordinary life as an OB/GYN, a Master of International Public Health (Harvard), Emeritus Professor at Memorial University. Instrumental to the start of the Family Life Bureau of Newfoundland, a member of the Right to Life association, appointed by Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Council for Health and a member of the Order of the Knights of Malta. Recipient of the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (The Cross of Honour). He leaves a great legacy of bringing thousands of children into the world as well as creating MaterCare International, which provides safe motherhood for women in developing countries.”

MaterCare International is a group of Catholic obstetricians and gynaecologists, midwives and general practitioners whose mission is “to improve the lives and health of mothers and babies, both born and unborn” and to reduce abortion worldwide and “maternal and perinatal mortality, morbidity in developing countries” through service, training, research, and advocacy, its website states.

It has projects in Nigeria, Ghana, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Rwanda, and an ongoing project in Kenya, where it built and maintains a hospital for high-risk mothers.

Among the many contacts we had with Rob over the years, ELN’s Patrick Buckley worked jointly with Dr Walley, Fr Richard Taylor and Dr. Bogdan Chazan, in the development of a charter of rights for mothers which it is hoped will someday become standard practice.

A CHARTER OF RIGHTS OF MOTHERS

Motherhood should be perceived as a gift, there is no right to have a baby.

Mothers to be, have the right to be prepared for family life, receiving ethical education in sexuality that respects moral, social, cultural and religious values and, should receive accurate and understandable information about the menstrual cycle, ovulation and fertility signs.

Every mother has a right to respect for her dignity, her religious, moral, social, and cultural values, and the right to be free from every form of discrimination or coercion, before, during and after childbirth.

In the case of infertility, infertile couples have the right to receive ethical medical care and treatment comprising responsible and reliable guidance about fertility awareness methods and medical help that respects both human dignity and the life of every unborn child

Every mother must have access to comprehensive prenatal care including effective health education in preparation for safe delivery and social support adequate to family needs. She should be cared for when indigent, deserted or suffering from illness.

Every mother has the right to refuse prenatal diagnosis and coercion or pressure to terminate her pregnancy.

Mothers have the right to have access to a safe, clean, adequately equipped, family centred delivery rooms and safe transportation facilities when necessary.

Every mother must have access to skilled medical care during delivery and have access to specialist’ care when complications occurs.

Mothers have the right to receive proper medical care and support in hospital and at home during postpartum period, including childcare, breastfeeding advice and morally acceptable natural family planning information and advice.

Mothers have the right to rest after delivery for adequate time receiving proper family help and social support.

Mothers together with husbands have the right to educate their children and to a reasonable share of the husband’s income for maintenance and education of the children, according to their needs and number.

In the absence of sufficient family resources the mother should receive necessary assistance from the community or the state.

Mothers living in developing countries have the right to receive from higher – income countries any forms of help (goods, services, facilities) needed to protect their health and lives.

Every mother has the right to retain her fertility, and to be free of coercion and not be subjected to medical or surgical sterilization or abortion.

Every mother and every child has a right to survival so as not to die during pregnancy and childbirth as a consequence of abortion or lack of essential obstetrical care.

Patrick Buckley in conjunction with the Holy See, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and Campaign Life Coalition Canada were also deeply honoured to have Dr. Walley speak as one of our expert panelists during a recent United Nations event In New York on best practices in maternal healthcare.

We at ELN express our deepest sympathies to Robert’s Wife Susan and his family

May he rest in peace

Poems from WHY an Anthology of Pro-Life Verse 7 Mar 2018 7:33 AM (7 years ago)

THE SILENT LAMBS

How silent the Lamb in his tomb,

How silent the Lamb who was slain.

How silent the lambs in the womb,

How silent the lambs who are slain.

How silent the tombs where they’re lain,

How silent the holocaust,

Like the Lamb who was slain arose

The lambs in their turn will arise

Like the Lamb who was slain forgave

The lambs in their turn will forgive

Patrick Buckley ©

WHY: Anthology of Pro-Life Verse 6 Mar 2018 8:49 AM (7 years ago)

Patrick Buckley in 1997 published a small anthology of pro-life verse.
This collection of pro-life poems explores different aspects of the greatest evil of our time, the killing of unborn babies.

The Irish Government are determined to remove the constitutional protection of unborn life in Ireland and have decided that there will be a Referendum at the end of May 2018 to do so.

Publication of poems from this collection and is intended to highlight the tragedy of the Government approach and inform anyone willing to listen and to understand.

The collection includes 17 poems which will be reprinted here over the next few weeks as we approach the date of the Referendum.

VOICE

Will you be my voice,

O Voice of Voices.

Will you defend me,

And speak against false choices

Will you shut your ears,

And block out all my pleading.

Be my voice, speak,

Speak now o voice,

And influence that choice.

Patrick Buckley ©

Spiritual Crusade for the defence of unborn life 14 Feb 2018 1:21 AM (7 years ago)

It is abundantly clear that the entire process leading up to the decision to hold a referendum was weighted in favour of a pro-abortion agenda. It was also abundantly clear, to anyone who was watching, that pro-life arguments have been ignored, rubbished or stifled however we are determined to oppose this one-sided process and to get the truth to every household in Ireland and to every citizen, prior to the May Referendum. Many groups and individuals are committed to door to door canvassing to spread the word.

For our part we believe that it is not appropriate in any civilised society to cast votes on who should live and who should die, accordingly we have launched various initiatives to oppose this appalling culture of death and to uphold the right to life of unborn babies

First we prepared an explanatory video in conjunction with the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) which can be found on this link

Apart from the necessity of door to door canvassing the task before us is in our opinion primarily a spiritual battle so we launched our first Spiritual Crusade last year. This consisted of a 54 day fast which commenced on November 1st and finished on Christmas Eve with six nominated people fasting for 9 days each on a water only fast Others were invited to join in prayer and fasting for the protection of unborn life and the retention of the 8th Amendment.

Hundreds of people from all over Ireland North and South, the UK, Canada and the US joined with to pray for the protection of the unborn. We Completed our first Spiritual Crusade with a pro-life Mass in the Church of St Kevin Harrington Street Dublin on the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

We are now commencing our second Spiritual Crusade our lenten campaign beginning on Ash Wednesday and finishing at Easter.
We hope to finish this second Spiritual Crusade with Mass in St Kevins In Harrington Street on the Feast of the Annunciation which will be celebrated this year on Monday April 9th.

Pro-Life Mass: Feast of the Holy Innocents 15 Dec 2017 1:43 AM (7 years ago)

Pro-Life Mass

Feast of the Holy Innocents December 28^th

In view of the constant and unrelenting attack on the lives of unborn babies in Ireland and in response to the one sided proceedings of both the Citizens' Assembly and the recent vote of the Oireachtas Committee we are convinced that this is primarily a spiritual battle and accordingly have arranged for the celebration of Holy Mass on the Feast of the Holy Innocents December 28^th at 11.30am in St Kevin’s Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.

Mass will be in Latin and will be offered for the defence of 8^th Amendment and the protection of unborn life.

We believe that it would be hard to find a more appropriate day to offer our prayers and Holy Mass, for the protection of unborn life, than the Feast of the Holy Innocents

This invitation is open to everyone who wishes to attend.

Tea, coffee and seasonal refreshments will be available following the celebration of Mass.

Tel. 087 2578250: e-mail:patrickgbuckley44@gmail.com

Spiritual Crusade to defend the 8th Amendment 10 Nov 2017 8:31 AM (7 years ago)

Our 54 day crusade of prayer and fasting for the defence of the 8^th Amendment, which protects the lives unborn babies in Ireland, commenced on November 1st. and extends to Christmas Eve.

The public response to this initiative was beyond all expectation and has resulted in hundreds of people of all ages and from all parts of Ireland taking part together with eight nominated individuals who have agreed fast, on a water only fast for six periods of 9 days each.

There is a clear understanding that the current war on the unborn is primarily a spiritual battle and that in addition to the excellent work of all the pro-life organisations a spiritual battle consisting of prayer and fasting is also an essential element.

There are currently eight people committed to a fasting rota for the 54 days and as we write this column on November 10^th we have reached the end of the first, very successful, 9 day fast. The second 9 day fast which is being carried out by two young men begins today.

Prior to the commencement of this initiative Patrick Buckley spoke at meetings in Malahide, Navan and Mullingar stressing the importance of a spiritual approach to defending unborn life in Ireland by the defence of 8^th Amendment and he gave details of the Spiritual Crusade.

The spiritual crusade is a joint initiative of European life Network (ELN) Human Life Ireland (HLI )and the Catholic Voice Newspaper .

The right to life is non negotiable 9 May 2017 6:02 AM (8 years ago)

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

Victory at UN Commission on Population and Development 19 Apr 2017 5:55 AM (8 years ago)

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The first week in April was not a good week for UNFPA, the UN Population Fund which was first given the news at the outset of its conference, the Commission on Population and Development, that the Trump Administration had decided to withdraw funding of around $75 million on the basis that UNFPA’s activities in China are complicit with that nation’s coercive population control program, the implementation of which includes forced abortion and involuntary sterilization.

The UNFPA problems continued later that week with a firm rejection of the anti life and family policies they and other UN organs are attempting to impose globally. The outcome of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) was in fact a significant victory by pro-life and family forces and was the second time in three years that the Commission failed to produce an outcome document.

The 50th session of the Commission held at UN headquarters in New York, was themed, ‘Changing population age structures and sustainable development’. This was the first CPD since the Trump Administration took office in the US and was viewed by UNFPA and their anti-life allies, such as International Planned Parenthood (IPPF), as a testing ground to establish the direction the administration would take when faced with demands for the acceptance of controversial language on sexual and reproductive rights and comprehensive sexuality education for children.

In recent years the negotiating strategy adopted by Western governments has been to insert many references to controversial issues in documents during the negotiating period and rely on the chair to issue a compromise text which inevitably retains some of those issues.

In this case the outcome document was similarly loaded up with controversial language and when the chair’s text was circulated early on Friday morning it was completely unacceptable. Negotiations continued all day Friday and a so called compromise text was produced by the Qatar Chair, Ambassador Alya Ahmed Al Thani, which in the end failed to satisfy either side leaving her with no option for her but to withdraw the text.

The decision by the chair to withdraw the document was enthusiastically welcomed by pro-life and pro-family NGO’s but was greeted with a shocked silence and anger by the anti-life and family brigade when the realisation sunk in that there would not be an outcome document and that their plans for sexualising children had been stopped.

One of the most poignant interventions was made by the Russian Federation’s delegate who told the meeting that pushing sexual and reproductive health rights as indivisible from human rights was nothing but an attempt to undermine international agreements on human rights. Such formulations, he said, diluted basic human rights, which only discredited the Commission’s work.

He also expressed opposition to use of the Commission as a “back door” through which to force various human rights concepts that did not meet the broader consensus.

Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), expressed regret that the Commission had been unable to reach consensus on its outcome document for the second time adding that it was clearly a challenging time for the Commission. As population age structures changed, commitment to improving the lives of women and girls was becoming increasingly important, he said, and he urged all Member States to continue their funding of UNFPA so as to restore its core budget.

So much for free speech #FreeSpeechBus tour 23 Mar 2017 3:23 PM (8 years ago)

CitizenGo, the International Organisation for the Family and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) joined together to co-sponsor a major event in the United States in the promotion of a #FreeSpeechBus tour.

The #FreeSpeechBus tour was designed to spark a national conversation about the truth of gender and to call for the right of all Americans to debate the issues surrounding gender without fear of harassment or retaliation.

The tour which celebrates the complementarity but also the differences between male and female commenced in Manhattan today with a press conference and visits to the United Nations and Trump Tower.

BUS VANDALISED

Sadly after only a few hours the free speech bus has been attacked and vandalised in the streets of Manhattan.

Windows were smashed and the sides of the bus were covered in graffiti.

The Citizens' Assembly: Shut it down now 9 Feb 2017 3:28 AM (8 years ago)

It is with sadness that I watch the ongoing farce known as the Citizens' Assembly and I have to ask myself how is it that the killing of babies can even be contemplated let alone presented as an acceptable option by some members of our society?

Everyone knows that certain members of the Irish Government are committed to changing the law but they are also keenly aware that a direct decision to do so would have a disastrous effect on their chances of re-election, hence the creation of the talking shop known as the Citizens Assembly to ‘investigate’ the issues. The obvious purpose of this is to create the pretence that they are acting on the advice of the Assembly and are at arms length from the issue allowing them to claim that a new referendum is the will of the people.

It stands to reason that the Irish Government would not have appointed such a body if they really believed that the killing of babies is unacceptable and were intent on upholding the 8^th Amendment.

To date the strategic direction of the Citizens’ Assembly appears to the onlooker as being substantially pro-abortion with an occasional nod towards the pro-life view.

The Assembly secretariat appear to have completely ignored the fact that the current law upholds the right to life of the unborn which has resulted in the development of a caring, 2 patient model for pregnancy and childbirth. It also ignores the achievements of the 8^th amendment which include at least 100,000 additional citizens.

We have to ask how is it considered acceptable to introduce people who make their living from the killing of babies to take part of our national debate?

Patricia Lohr of BPAS for example, who infamously told a London audience last September that killing children by abortion is “extremely gratifying”, gave an address to the Assembly during its 3^rd session.

This lady also published a paper on Feticide[1] in which she chillingly tells us:

From a medical perspective, this term refers to modalities to induce fetal demise (1). Feticide is most commonly used for selective termination of higher order gestations to twins or singletons. It is also used by some providers before medical and surgical abortion in the second and third trimesters to avoid signs of life at induction or in the belief that it makes the procedure easier and safer. Several methods have been described including intra-cardiac injection of potassium chloride, intra-amniotic injection of digoxin, and transection of the umbilical cord (2). Older methods of medical abortion employed instillation of hyperosmolar solutions such as urea, which also variably induced fetal demise.

The Assembly was also addressed by a representative of the Guttmacher Institute – the research wing of Planned Parenthood which is the largest abortion provider in the United States and throughout the world.

In recent decades we have witnessed a drift away from the understanding of natural law which includes the prohibition on killing as set out in the 5^th Commandment to positive law which seeks to identify and implement all sorts of trumped up individual rights, in the name of liberty, regardless of the consequences of this approach. The twisted thinking of the liberal left which denies the humanity of unborn babies is rooted in Marxist ideology.

Shut down this unsatisfactory Assembly now.

[1] http://www.reproductivereview.org/index.php/site/article/1093/

ELN submission to Citizens' Assembly 14 Dec 2016 3:40 AM (8 years ago)

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 9 Nov 2016 6:41 AM (8 years ago)

New post graduate course in Dublin City University (DCU) aims to hook children on sex! 22 Aug 2016 12:49 AM (9 years ago)

Post by Marie Cummins.

The newest post graduate certificate in DCU entitled; Sexuality and Sexual Health Education is pointing towards an overly sexualised, secular society where anything goes, as long as you are in control. This collaborative partnership between DCU school of Nursing and the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) states that it will help individuals to 'make healthy decisions about sexuality and sexual health regardless of their position in the life span'. This loaded statement indicates that no matter what age a child is, they will be educated about sexual decisions and explicit sexual terms and behaviours unsuitable for their age. Now that these explicit courses are beginning to emerge in Ireland, Irish citizens need to fully understand the consequences and implications of such sexual programmes being promoted in school settings and health care settings.

The course undoubtedly is promoting CSE (Comprehensive Sexuality Education), which essentially includes issues such as abortion, promiscuity and LGBTQIA rights. Sexuality education as proposed by this new course promotes sexual rights at the expense of sexual health. Ultimately the goal of such programmes is to change the sexual and gender norms of society. A more accurate name to this course would be abortion, promiscuity and LGBTQIA rights education.

As outlined on the DCU website the key objectives of the course include to;

▪ Train a generation of educators in Sexuality & Sexual Health.

▪ Elaborate on sexuality-related literary, artistic and cultural discourses.

▪ Advocate for the implementation and where necessary the creation of social

policy on sexuality, sexual health education, and sexual education promotion in

relation to human rights that shape social justice and diversity.

Comprehensive sexuality education is promoted by powerful organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and UN agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNFPA. Even the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) promotes CSE.

The controversial nature of CSE promotes the following:

• Masturbation to children as young as 5 years old

• Encourages children to explore their gender identity

• Teaches children about orgasm, homosexual and heterosexual sexual acts

• Promotes abortion as safe and without consequences

• Promotes CSE as a human right and promotes high risk sexual activities as safe.

• The program also teaches children about the right to abortion, and encourages

them to advocate for sexual rights in laws and policies.

This comprehensive approach to sexuality education is pornographic in nature and fails to include emotional, physical and psychological health risks of promiscuous sexual activity.

PARENTAL RIGHTS

Despite the fact that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in Article 26.3

Says that: “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children” these programmes are taught without adequate parental notification or consultation. This is a gross violation of parental rights.

Provision is also being made at an international level which grant children privacy and confidentiality further alienating parental rights.

The question to ask here is; confidentiality from whom? and privacy from whom? This violation of the constitutional rights of parents to guide and educate their children will make it very difficult for parents to know what their children are being taught and shown at school. This so called ‘sexual liberation’ of children from the parents conservative or religious views regarding sexuality and indoctrinating them in a new worldview that coincides with various liberal political ideologies is extremely dangerous. The purpose of such programs is to expose children to explicit sexual content without the knowledge or consent of their parents.

This new course offered by DCU is only the beginning, the dangers of such explicit CSE needs to be exposed and our children must be protected from ludicrous liberal sexual agendas.

RTE found to be in breach of BAI standards following public complaints on their handling of the abortion issue 26 May 2016 6:10 AM (9 years ago)

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.

Blatant bias against pro-life and pro-family NGO’s at UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60). 29 Mar 2016 6:36 AM (9 years ago)

The 60^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women took place at UN headquarters in New York from March 14^th to March 24^th finishing around 11.00PM on Holy Thursday. There has always been bias against pro-life and pro-family NGO’s at the UN however this year’s session contained a new and pernicious level of bias, not previously experienced by pro-life and pro-family NGO’s.

This new level of bias first showed it ugly head in the preparations for the session when the pro-life and family NGO’s applied for parallel events and were told that only one event would be allowed per organization and then were either refused outright or given slots on the most unsuitable dates and times. Contrast that with the slots, times, dates and numbers of events given to pro-abortion organizations many of which were given multiple slots for their parallel events, together with more appropriate dates and times. Radical Feminist organizations such as the Asian-Pacific resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) for example were given approval for three events - March 15, 2:30 pm, March 21, 10:30 am, March 21 4:30 pm, while the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) were given 6 events – March 16 8:30 am, March 16 12:30 pm, March 17 6:15 pm, March 21 10:30 am, March 21 4:30 pm, March 24 2:30 pm.

Second the CSW approved NGO committee issued a publication for NGO’s condemning what they describe as negativity and yes, you have guessed it, negativity consists of the pro-life and family agenda. The following is and extract from the publication, 'NGOs and Women’s Human Rights Activists at the UN and CSW', which on page 23 sets out some of the so called negative trends that in the view of the committee have impeded their progress:

• Narrowing the concept of gender to only refer to women and men

• Dissent between pro-life and pro-choice groups

• Opposition to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, in particular sexual rights

• Opposition to “sexual orientation and gender identity” or (SOGI)

• Opposition to “diverse forms of families”

• Opposition to Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

Thirdly and perhaps more serious than the other problems was that a new level of inflexibility entered into the inter governmental negotiations and despite strong representations from many pro-life NGO’s the CSW outcome document, Women’s Empowerment and the Link to Sustainable Development, (Draft) Agreed Conclusions, contains language aimed at increasing access to contraception and abortion and teaching children inappropriate so called comprehensive sexuality education. The health paragraph also includes a reference to controversial sexual rights.

Irish Bishop's statements in the lead up to the Irish general election 18 Feb 2016 7:51 AM (9 years ago)

The Catholic Bishops of Ireland have issued a pastoral statement on the upcoming election and in addition a number of Bishops have issued their own pastoral statements.It is vitally important that the Bishops are currently speaking out in advance of next weeks election on the necessity of voting for candidates committed to protecting unborn human life right from the time of conception and retaining the pro-life amendment to the Irish Constitution Article 40.3.3 also referred to as the 8th amendment.

Whilst it is gratifying to see this we must comment that had they spoken out in this way prior to the unfortunate referendum on marriage the result may have been different.

We focus here on the pro-life aspects of the various texts and additionally link to the full statement in each case.

18 February 2016: Pastoral Statement of the Catholic Bishops of Ireland on the Upcoming General Election

[…] A true human ecology recognises the equal right to life of every person from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. The Constitution of Ireland embraces the right to life of the unborn child. It is a fundamental affirmation of equality, where the right to life of no child is considered of less value than that of another. We strongly oppose any weakening of the affirmation of the right to life of the unborn.

Click here to read the full statement.

18 February 2016: Pastoral Message from Archbishop Eamon in preparation for the forthcoming General Election

Archbishop Eamon encourages everyone to ask those who seek your vote to confirm a number of critical issues including the right to life

Archbishop Eamon asks specifically
[…] Most importantly, because the right to life is the most fundamental right of all, ask them:
Will you continue to support the equal right to life of a mother and her unborn child as enshrined in the eighth amendment of the Constitution?
We must make it clear to those who wish our vote that there are no circumstances in which the direct killing of an unborn child can ever be justified.

Click here to read the full message.

16 February 2016: Bishop Ray Browne calls us to cast our vote

Abortion is an issue that is highly sensitive for many, many people. It is not just an issue in Ireland. There are and will always be, in every country in the world, people of all faiths and none who will campaign against it. Christian people will always say ‘no’ to abortion. To repeal the 8th Amendment of Bunreacht na hÉireann is to say that difficulties with acknowledging “the right to life of the unborn, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother” can be resolved by reducing to nought, the right to life of the unborn.

Click here to read the full statement from Bishop Browne.

16 February 2016: Recognising One Another as Persons – A pre-election 2016 statement from Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of Elphin

The right to life is a fundamental human right. Respect for life is one of the key indicators of a civilised society. In 2013, the Government passed legislation which permitted direct abortion in certain circumstances. In recent months there has been talk of removing the right to life of the unborn from the Constitution. This talk tends to focus on babies with life-limiting conditions and, in the public debate, much of what is presented as fact is actually quite misleading. Some babies who are seriously ill only live for a very short time, while others live significantly longer. For a Christian, however, there is no such thing as a life without value. For as long as they live, children with life-limiting conditions are entitled to be loved and cared for like any other childand their parents are entitled to the support of proper peri-natal hospice services.

Some of the political parties and some individual candidates have made no secret of the fact that they favour the widespread availability of abortion, while others have begun to talk about “assisted suicide”. Pope John Paul II wrote: “To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom.” (The Gospel of Life, 20). We need to convince our politicians of the importance of supporting and promoting a culture of life that recognises the unique value of every human person, and we need to actively support those who do. Meanwhile, I find it very difficult to see how any Catholic could, in good conscience, vote for a candidate or a political party whose policy it is to legalise abortion.

Click here to read the full statement from Bishop Doran.

16 February 2016: Statement by Archbishop Michael Neary concerning the equal protection of the right to life of mothers and unborn children

Of critical importance in any society is the unique value placed on each human life from the moment of conception to natural death. If life is not fully respected and protected then the very basis of our society is weakened. The Eighth Amendment guarantees the right to life of the unborn and the equal right to life of the mother.

Regrettably, some of those standing for election have declared their intention to work to remove this protection from our Constitution and laws. This simplistic approach to the most significant of issues is not only an outright attack on the unborn, but an affront to the charter of human rights enshrined in Ireland’s basic law.

If an unborn child has a life-limiting condition, it would be inhumane to withdraw the protection of the Constitution to their right to life. In this most significant of centenary years it is more pressing than ever “to cherish all the children of the nation equally” whether unborn or born, and irrespective of a child’s health status.

Click here to read the full statement from Archbishop Michael Neary.

13 February 2016: Statement by Bishop John Buckley concerning election 2016

It is sad that a child’s life-limiting condition is being used to promote the agenda of those who seek to legalise abortion on much wider grounds. Candidates in the election should be questioned politely but firmly, not just on their future intentions but on their past record.

There is no moral justification for a lack of housing. It is an issue that demands investment
The vast majority of refugees are good and law-abiding people. Refugees must respect the values, laws and traditions of the host countries. Ireland and Europe must address the refugee crisis as a matter of urgency.

Click here to read the full statement from Bishop Buckley.

Value Voter's guide to the Irish general Election UPDATE 18 Feb 2016 2:51 AM (9 years ago)

List updated Tuesday Feb 23rd

The General Election next week is a great opportunity for values voters to express opposition to the so called liberal, but in reality anti life and family, agenda that is being implemented by our Government.

This election comes within a few weeks of the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter rising which kick started Ireland's journey to self governance. I feel certain that those who gave their lives in the fight for Irish freedom would find today's Ireland unrecognizable and completely contrary to their noble intentions when it comes to life, family and other precious issues.

The policies of the outgoing government on issues such as abortion and same sex marriage have had the effect of removing some of the uncertainty about where various TDs stand on issues critical to the values voter.

The position is in fact quite complex as there are many issues that must be taken into account when making the decision to vote for anyone.

The following guide has been put together by Seamas de Barra from various sources on the positions of the various candidates on retention or rejection of the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment.

The decision on who to vote for is however complicated by those who openly supported constitutional change in the definition of marriage which led to the disastrous outcome in the ensuing referendum.

In addition there are other major issues coming down the line such as surrogacy, and assisted human reproduction. Outgoing Minister for Health, Dr Leo Varadkar, has expressed his intention, if returned, to introduce legislation favouring surrogacy, and the public funding of in vitro fertilization. In vitro fertilization on a regular basis involves wastage of 96% of the human embryos involved, and that wastage has been described by the Vatican in Dignitas Personae (2008) as ‘abortions’ [§16].

The following list includes all the Independents and has:

broken down the FF numbers into those who voted either for or against the 2013 pro-abortion legislation,
those who have declared either for or against the removal of the remaining protection for the unborn under the banner of removal of the 8th amendment;
the TDs who were removed from Fine Gael over the 2013 pro-abortion legislation;
Renua candidates either for or against the removal of the remaining protection for the unborn under the banner of removal of the 8th amendment;
the 1 Green Party candidate in favour of the 8th, Sinéad Byrne;
the 1 Sinn Féin candidate who voted against the pro-abortion legislation , Peadar Tóibín.

Independent Candidates, and some others, in Favour of Retaining
the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment

Connacht/Ulster
Cavan-Monaghan Mary Smyth; Donegal Tim Jackson; Galway East Sean Canney. Michael Fahy; Galway West Fidelma Healy-Eames, Noel Grealish, Tommy Roddy; Mayo Peter Jordan, Gerry O’Boyle, George O’Malley; Roscommon/Galway Denis Naughten; Sligo/Leitrim Bernie O’Hara, Des Guckian.

Leinster
Carlow/Kilkenny Paddy Manning; Kildare North ––––– ; Kildare South –––––– ;
Laois –––––– ; Offaly Kate Bopp; Longford-Westmeath Noel McKervey [Catholic Democrats]; Louth –– ; Meath East Sharon Keogan; Meath West John Malone; Wexford –––– ; Wicklow Joe Behan.

Munster
Clare ––––– ; Cork East ––––– ; Cork North Central Ger Keohane; Cork South Central –––– ; Cork South-West Theresa Heaney [Catholic Democrats], Michael Collins; Cork North-West John Paul O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Flynn; Kerry Michael Healy-Rae, Mary E. Fitzgibbon, John Brassil Danny Healy Rae; Limerick City Nora Bennis [Catholic Democrats]; Limerick County Emmet O’Brien, Richard O’Donoghue, John O’Gorman; Tipperary Mattie McGrath, Michael Lowry; Waterford John Walsh.

Dublin
Dublin Bay North Paul Clarke, Proinsias Ó Conaire; Dublin Bay South ––––– ;
Dublin Central –––––––; Dublin Fingal (North) ––––– ; Dublin North-West ––– ;
Dublin Rathdown Peter Mathews; Dublin South Central –––––; Dublin South-West Kieran Adam Quigley, Ronan McMahon [Renua]; Dublin West ––– ;
Dún Laoghaire ––––– ; Dublin Mid-West ––––– .

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Fianna Fáil Dáil Candidates who have declared in Favour of Retaining
the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment

Connacht/Ulster
Cavan/Monaghan ––––– ; Donegal –––– ; Galway East Colm Keaveney; Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív, Mary Hoade, John Connolly; Mayo ––––– ; Roscommon/Galway –––– ; Sligo-Leitrim ––– .

Leinster
Carlow/Kilkenny ––––– ; Kilare North James Lawless; Kildare South ––––– ;
Laois ––––– ; Offaly ––––– ; Longford-Westmeath ––––– ; Louth ––––– ;
Meath East –––– ; Meath West –––– ; Wexford –––––– ; Wicklow ––––– .

Munster
Clare Michael McDonough; Cork East Barbara Allen; Cork North Central –––– ;
Cork South Central –––– ; Cork South-West –––– ; Cork North West Aindrias Moynahan; Kerry John Brassil ; Limerick City_______; Limerick County –––––– ;
Tipperary ––––– ; Waterford –––––– .

Dublin
Dublin Bay North Seán Haughey; Dublin Bay South –––––– ; Dublin Central –––; Dublin Fingal (North) Darragh O’Brien; Dublin North-West Paul McAuliffe; Dublin Rathdown –––– ; Dublin South Central ––––– ; Dublin South-West –––– ; Dublin West –––– Jack Chambers; Dún Laoghaire Cormac Devlin, Mary Hanafin; Dublin Mid-West ––––– .

Fianna Fáil Dáil candidates who voted against the pro-abortion legislation
the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013

Connacht/Ulster
Cavan/Monaghan Brendan Smith; Donegal Charlie McConalogue; Galway East Colm Keaveney; Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív; Mayo Dara Calleary; Roscommon/Galway ––– ; Sligo-Leitrim Senator Mark McSharry.

Leinster
Carlow/Kilkenny John McGuinness; Kildare North ––––– ; Kildare South Seán Ó Fearghaíl; Laois Seán Fleming; Offaly ––––– ; Longford/Westmeath Robert Troy [but favours abortion of babies with life-limiting conditions]; Louth –––– ; Meath East ––––– ; Meath West –––– ; Wexford –––– ; Wicklow ––––– .

Munster
Clare ––––– ; Cork East ––––– ; Cork North Central ––––– ; Cork South Central Michael McGrath; Cork South West ––––– ; Cork North-West Michael Moynihan;
Kerry ––––– ; Limerick City Willie O'Dea; Limerick County ––––– ; Tipperary ––––– ; Waterford –––––––– .

Dublin
Dublin Bay North ––––– ; Dublin Bay South ––––––– ; Dublin Central –––––––
Dublin Fingal (North) Darragh O’Brien; Dublin North-West –––––– ; Dublin Rathdown ––––– ; Dublin South Central –––––– ; Dublin South-West –––––– ;
Dublin West –––––– ; Dún Laoghaire ––––––– ; Dublin Mid-West ––––– .

Fianna Fáil candidates who voted in favour of the pro-abortion legislation the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013
Offaly Barry Cowan; Clare Timmy Dooley; Limerick County Niall Collins; Cork North Central Billy Kelleher; Cork South Central Micheál Martin; Dublin Rathdown Senator Mary White.

Fianna Fáil candidates who are against retaining the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment/ or have declared in favour of Abortion
in certain circumstances
Mayo Lisa Chambers; Longford/Westmeath Robert Troy; Wexford Malcolm Byrne, Aoife Byrne; Kerry Norma Moriarty; Dublin Bay South Jim O’Callaghan; Dublin Fingal (North) Lorraine Clifford Lea; Dublin South Central Catherine Ardagh.

TDs who were expelled from Fine Gael for voting against
the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013 and are running
in this General Election
Galway West Senator Fidelma Healy Eames [Independent]; Wicklow Billy Timmins [Renua]; Cork East Senator Paul Bradford [Renua]; Dublin Bay North Terence Flanagan [Renua]; Dublin Bay South Lucinda Creighton [Renua]; Dublin Rathdown Peter Mathews [Independent].

Renua Candidates who haven’t run previously and who have declared in favour of the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment

Galway West Nicola Davoren; Mayo Michael Farrington; Sligo-Leitrim Finbarr Filan; Louth Michael O’Dowd; Cork East Senator Paul Bradford; Cork North-West Jason Fitzgerald; Dublin South-West Ronan McMahon; Dublin West Jo O’Brien.

Renua Candidates who are opposed to the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment
Kildare South Mary Kennedy; Cork South Central Ciaran Kenneally; Kerry Donal Corcoran; Dublin South Central Michael Gargan; Dún Laoghaire Frank Cronin.

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Sinn Fein and the Green party are in favour of repealing the remaining pro-life protection for the unborn by the removal of the 8th Amendment.

Green Party
The Green Party is in favour of repealing the 8th [or Pro-Life Amendment] but they allow a free vote on such issues. Only one Green Party candidate has declared in favour of the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment: Laois Sinéad Moore.

Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is in favour of repealing the 8th [or Pro-Life] Amendment, and they don’t allow a free vote on such issues. One of their candidates voted against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, Peadar Tóibín, and he was expelled from Sinn Féin for 6 months.

Stormont MLA’s will vote today on pro-abortion amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill 10 Feb 2016 1:35 AM (9 years ago)

Two amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill seeking the introduction of abortion now look unlikely to pass as the DUP say they will vote against it.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has however asked the Northern Ireland Health Minister to set up a working group to look at how the issue of so called ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ can be addressed.

Two separate amendments to the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Bill, tabled by the Alliance and the Green Parties, aimed at changing the law on abortion will come to a vote today Wednesday February 10^th, The amendments if approved would allow abortion of babies with life-limiting disabilities and babies conceived by criminal acts (rape or incest).

Both the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and Precious Life appealed to MLA’s to reject the proposals. These are the most vulnerable of unborn children and if their legal protection is denied, the legal protection of all unborn children is brought into question.

Northern Ireland’s Catholic Bishops have also urged Assembly members to reject the proposed amendments. The Bishops in their statement rephrased the issue to refer to unborn children with life-limiting conditions, rather than the pro-abortion definition of ‘fatal foetal abnormality’.

The DUP has asked the Northern Ireland health minister to set up a working group to look at how the issue of fatal foetal abnormality can be addressed.

The move comes as MLAs prepare for an assembly debate on whether to make abortions legal in such cases. The DUP said the issue required proper consideration by the assembly and executive, and that the Bill was not intended for this purpose. They have asked Health Minister Simon Hamilton to set up a working group, including clinicians and people with a legal background, to make recommendations as to how the issue can be addressed, including, if necessary, draft legislation. It is to report within six months.

The proposed amendment looks unlikely to pass now that the DUP has said it will be voting against it.

Abortion, legal or illegal, apart from killing babies, cannot be considered safe for women 14 Jan 2016 3:43 AM (9 years ago)

The killing of unborn babies has been sanitized by the abortion industry and its supporters by telling us that it is a legitimate 'Choice' and that if it not legalized women will die, They claim that legalizing abortion makes it safe but nothing could be further from the truth.

Legalized abortion is widely touted by them as being beneficial to women, but a wealth of medical and psychological evidence suggests otherwise.

Women face numerous risks with abortion, legal or illegal, and those risks are substantially greater in the developing world, yet some in the international community for ideological reasons have focused their resources primarily on legalizing abortion at the expense of women’s lives and health.

The claim is, that making abortion legal makes it safe, but medical research shows this to be false, the evidence is overwhelming, abortion is dangerous for women. It is by its very nature a violent and damaging procedure. Documented complications include hemorrhage, infection, cervical damage, uterine perforation, pelvic disease and retained fetal or placental tissue.

Large record-based studies from Finland[1], Denmark[2] and the United States[3] found that maternal mortality rates were significantly higher after abortion compared to childbirth. Long-term risks of abortion, including subsequent preterm birth, infertility, cancer, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and placenta previa, can substantially impede future reproductive success.

Abortion is also associated with increased risk of negative psycho-social consequences. For example, a 2011 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Psychiatry[4] found an 81 percent increased risk of mental health problems. Anxiety, depression, alcohol and drug use and suicidal behaviors have been found to increase following abortion, along with damage to key relationships.

In the developing world, these dangers increase where basic maternal health care is unavailable. The incidence of maternal mortality is mainly determined by the quality of maternal health care. Legalization does not improve outcomes, but only increases the number of women subjected to the risks of abortion.

Abortion needlessly puts women at serious risk, both physically and psychologically and rather than legalize or promote it, governments should protect the equal dignity and basic rights of all human beings, including women and their unborn children.

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9292639

[2] http://www.medscimonit.com/abstract/index/idArt/883338

[3] http://aborto.cc/documentos/DeathsAssociatedWithAbortion.pdf

[4] http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/199/3/180.full

Commentary on the non-applicability of the recent Northern Ireland judgement on abortion to the Republic of Ireland 8 Jan 2016 7:53 AM (9 years ago)

Liam Gibson, the Northern Ireland representative for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, has prepared a commentary on the recent Horner judgement with respect to the Republic of Ireland.
This is a very timely commentary as it is likely that the judgement will be cited by pro-abortion organisations and politicians in the lead up to the coming general election.

Why the Horner judgement cannot be used to change the law in the Republic of Ireland.
The salient points of Liam's commentary are included below.

1. The ruling by Mr Justice Horner that abortion laws in Northern Ireland are incompatible with the European Convention was not based on his interpretation of the Convention. Instead he claimed that the Northern Ireland law, unlike the law in the Republic, does not recognise the right to life of the unborn child. (This claim is untrue but was based entirely on UK law. Not only can his judgement not apply to the Republic, he actually set out to use the law in the South to undermine the law in the Six Counties.)

2. He acknowledged that the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights did not find the Republic’s law, which prohibits abortion on grounds of fatal anomaly and rape, to be incompatible with the Convention. (In A B & C v Ireland the court said that C had been prevented from obtaining an abortion that would have been lawful because her life was threatened and therefore her rights were violated.)

3. Horner cited various English cases, including Paton v UK and Re MB, to claim that unlike the Republic, under English law the foetus had no right to life. He then claimed that the situation in Northern Ireland was the same as England by pretending that the absence of the Abortion Act in Northern Ireland made no difference.

4. He explicitly pointed to the differences between the law in the Republic and the North:

The Eighth Amendment recognised the right to life before birth with the purpose of preventing the legalisation of abortion;
The Eighth Amendment was adopted by popular vote;
As Strasbourg said in Open Door v Ireland, it was based on the profound moral views of the Irish people on the nature of life;
No one knows what the people of the North think about the subject. (He was either ignorant of or disregarded the public consultation which took place less than12 months earlier which overwhelmingly rejected a change in the law.)

5. The Convention requires restrictions on the Article 8 right to privacy to be, among other things, proportionate to their aim. He argued that since the foetus has no right to life, punishing abortion with life imprisonment was disproportionate and therefore violated the Convention when it prohibited abortion in the circumstances he approved of, that is, fatal abnormality and rape. (He should have recognised that the severity of the sentence reflected the high regard in which the foetus is held. The 1861 Act and the 1945 Act require life imprisonment precisely because abortion deprives the unborn child of his life.)

6. Mr Justice Horner did not claim that the Convention recognises a human right to abortion so the Republic does not have to change its law. He acknowledged that Art 40.3.3 prevents the legalisation in the Republic of abortion on the grounds he dealt with and that this is entirely compatible with human rights. The Horner judgement only confirms the importance of the Eighth Amendment and pro-lifers must fight to keep it in the Constitution.

The full text of the commentary can be provided. Please contact Patrick Buckley on the following e-mail address. patrick@europeanlifenetwork.org

Bishop Kevin Doran says Christians must make protection of unborn children an election issue 6 Jan 2016 3:33 AM (9 years ago)

Bishop Kevin Doran of the Diocese of Elphin, in his homily delivered on World Peace Day, January 1st., made reference throughout the homily to Ireland's upcoming general election and it was particularly heartening to read the part of his statement that refers to protection of unborn babies.

We are in complete agreement with Bishop Kevin when he says that committed Christians must make this an election issue and that candidates must be questioned politely but firmly, not just on their future intentions but on their past record.

The extract from Bishop Kevin's homily is set out below and the full text of his statement can be found on this link

There has been a lot of political posturing about repealing the eighth amendment, which is the only remaining protection unborn children have in our legal system. That protection has already been significantly eroded in recent years. I believe that committed Christians must make this an election issue and that candidates must be questioned politely but firmly, not just on their future intentions but on their past record. These are, after all, your children and your grand-children.

Renua general election manifesto 5 Jan 2016 5:29 AM (9 years ago)

Whilst the date of the upcoming general election has not yet been set, Renua, the new political party is first out of the traps in announcing its manifesto. See RTE report

Pro-lifers had great hopes of this party as it was set up by Lucinda Creighton who stood by her convictions and voted against the pro-abortion, Protection of Life in Pregnancy, legislation at the high personal cost of ejection from the Fine Gael parliamentary party and loss of her ministerial post prior to setting up the new party

There was considerable dismay in pro-life and pro-family circles however at Ms. Creighton’s statement in February 2015 prior to the same sex marriage referendum that she was a supporter of the marriage equality referendum and she intended to vote in favour of it.

Ms Creighton in presenting the Renua manifesto at a press conference claimed no party would have a clear-cut majority after the election and the question voters had to ask was "who would be their watchdog in government?".

The new manifesto concentrates on tax reform and other political issues but the meeting was told By Ms. Creighton that that the party would not be taking a view on the question of liberalising abortion legislation and that there were other social issues facing the electorate.

Clearly there are different opinions in the new party on the pro-life issue.

On a show of hands 14 of the eighteen party members indicated they opposed removal of the 8^th amendment (the pro-life amendment) from the constitution.

The good news is that 14 out of the 18 Renua party members standing for election appear to be pro-life.

War on Ireland's unborn 2016 4 Jan 2016 5:26 AM (9 years ago)

We have just entered 2016 but there are already two pro-abortion stories in the news. All such reports must currently be viewed as part of the propaganda spewed out by political parties and others in the lead up to the upcoming general election. One of the saddest things is that these people can so callously play with human life as though it is of no consequence. They have bought into the lie that there is such a right, as the right to choose, the right to choose to kill another human being.

First we were told on the very first day of the new year that two leading liberal Fine Gael ministers have committed to addressing abortion in 2016 — with or without the Labour Party in government. The two, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe are both reported to have said Fine Gael did not need Labour in order to progress the issue.

This was clearly an attempt to tell the electorate that they are just as liberal on this crucial issue as the Labour party and by so doing to remove any possible advantage that Labour may gain from being perceived as the only pro-abortion party.

Then on day 4 of the new year we have been told that the new Master of the Rotunda Professor Fergal Malone has called for change in Ireland’s laws on abortion.

We can predict that this is only the beginning and that in the lead up to the election we will have the pro-abortion industry, the media, pro-abortion organisations and politicians all howling for change in Ireland’s Constitution.

Pro-life organisations and politicians will have an uphill battle to retain the remaining level of protection of unborn human life.

Clearly one cannot vote for pro-abortion politicians and it is therefore vital that a complete list of pro-life politicians be made available prior to polling.

It is also imperative that people ask general election candidates where they stand on this issue. This issue is too important to fudge.

Human Rights Day: Abysmal failure of the United Nations to protect the rights of unborn babies 10 Dec 2015 6:42 AM (9 years ago)

Today December 10th the United Nations celebrates Human Rights Day.

The UN, instead of clapping itself on the back at its own perceived success in promoting human rights, should hang its head in shame at its abysmal failure to protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of our community, unborn babies.

The UN, its agencies and organs appear to be more influenced by ideology than in upholding truth and justice even though the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenents enacted under it are crystal clear.

It is now fifty years since the UN adopted the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights constitute the International Bill of Rights that recognize 'the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world'. In addition to the foregoing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in its preamble tells us that 'Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth".'

Sound science recognizes that human embryos, from the moment of fertilisation, are new living human beings. To use the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we are all members of the 'human family'. From the moment of fertilisation we all share a common humanity. Human embryos are equal members of the species homo sapiens and each stage of development is equal in value to every other stage.

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.

We call on the Secretary General and the United Nations General Assembly to redress this blatant injustice, to uphold its own declared values and to immediately reject the wholesale killing of the unborn.

Denying embryonic and foetal human beings their fundamental and inherent right to live, either by design or by omission, diminishes the whole of humanity, hinders the search for justice and truth and brings the UN, its organs and agencies, into disrepute.

Manipulation of Language 1 Dec 2015 7:39 AM (9 years ago)

One of the issues that pro-life advocates need to be aware of is the manipulation of language by the media and by pro-abortion organizations and activists.

George Orwell in his famous novel 1984 wrote about a fictional language he called 'newspeak' supposedly designed to standardize thought to reflect an ideology that makes "all other modes of thought impossible". He may have been wrong about the date but it is abundantly clear that elements of newspeak have invaded our lexicon.

A widespread example of this strategy is political correctness, even that term has been shortened to become the letters PC.

What's the difference between ‘positive discrimination’ and ‘sexual discrimination’ ? The former is policy and the latter illegal. However, they both mean the same thing – favouring one sex over another! Have you noticed we don’t have firemen anymore, ? We have firefighters. Have you ever noticed that the non-gender specific word Homemaker has superseded the term Housewife ? We hear of ‘deadbeat’ dads – but not moms ? We also hear of ‘single’ rather than ‘unmarried’ mothers ? We have ‘family courts’ and not ‘divorce courts’

I came across a letter in the Irish examiner which expresses the issue clearly I am reprinting it below

One of the first strategies for success at any given subject is the manipulation of language. First of all, the issue is obscured, and then the other side uses your phraseology.

The pro-‘choice’ side is to be congratulated in winning this first phase of the battle. Take the word ‘abortion’.

The impression can be given that the whole procedure is innocuous, somewhat akin to the pulling of a tooth, giving immediate relief. The advocator will thus be seen as a ‘compassionate’ person, not a person bound by inflexible dogma. (Oddly, the responsibility of the man is never mentioned).

By using the word ‘abortion’, the pro-life side is actually helping the pro-‘choice’ side in covering up what, in reality, is the deliberate taking of a human (unborn) life. It is this reality that needs to be made plain, not obscured. Similarly, with the phrase, “repeal of the 8th amendment”.

Pro-lifers will be well aware of what is involved, and the consequences. Not necessarily so, in the case of others. These may be indifferent, or may be quite happy with the vagueness involved. They will be entitled to ask, “The 8th amendment of what?” Time for plain speaking.

Donal O’Driscoll

Dargle Road

Blackrock

Co Dublin

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