Spokesmen available for interview re tomorrow’s major European court abortion judgment |
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Strasbourg, 15 December 2010: Tomorrow (at 11:00 French time, 10:00 UK time) the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, will deliver its judgment in the case of three Irish women who have challenged Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), a leading European pro-life group, is an intervening party in the case. SPUC’s joint submission with other pro-life groups can be read at http://oldsite.alliancedefensefund.org/userdocs/IrelandBrief.pdf Patrick Buckley, of European Life Network Ireland and of SPUC, said: “We hope that the court will respect Ireland’s national sovereignty by leaving the Irish Constitution’s ban on abortion alone. The Irish Supreme Court last year ruled* that the Irish Constitution trumps the European Convention on Human Rights, because the Convention is not part of Irish law and therefore not directly applicable in Irish cases.” * McD. -v- L. & anor, 10 Dec 2009 http://bit.ly/g5k35B “Thus far the European Court of Human Rights has never interfered in the constitutions of European nation-states. Ireland must dismiss out of hand any such interference if the court attempts it in its judgment tomorrow. In protecting the unborn from abortion Ireland is fulfilling its duty under international human rights law to protect the lives of its innocent citizens”, concluded Mr Buckley. Liam Gibson of SPUC will be outside the court tomorrow both before and after the judgment and will be available to the media for comment. Mr Gibson can be telephoned on: SPUC’s London-based media office can be telephoned on: SPUC’s previous media releases on the case can be found at: 3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street |
Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.