Human Rights Court to rule on abortion in Ireland

The European Court of Human Rights is expected to issue a ruling on 16 December 2010 on whether Ireland’s abortion laws violate women’s human rights.

Irish pro-life leaders are asking for prayers as the Court prepares to rule on the admissibility of Ireland’s pro-life constitution.

The case started when two Irish women and one Lithuanian woman, who travelled to Britain to have abortions, brought legal action against the Irish state five years ago. The pregnant women, who were supported by the Irish Family Planning Association (the Irish affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation), claimed that their inability to have an abortion in Ireland breached their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. The women argued that they were subject to indignity, stigmatisation and ill-health as a result of being forced to travel abroad for their abortions.

The Irish Government, however, robustly defended the laws and said that Ireland’s abortion laws were based on “profound moral values deeply embedded in Irish society”. It argued that the European Convention on Human Rights had consistently recognised the traditions of different countries regarding the rights of unborn children.

Ireland is currently one of only a handful of European Union member states that retain important legal restrictions on abortion, along with Poland and Malta. Abortion is only available in Ireland if the pregnancy threatens the life of the woman.

Patrick Buckley, EU spokesman for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), said “the importance of the case cannot be exaggerated”.

“The Court must acknowledge the right to life of the weakest and most vulnerable members of the human family if it is to retain any credibility in defending the most fundamental right of all human beings.

“While no international treaty has ever recognised access to abortion as a human right, the European Court has in previous cases failed in its obligation to uphold the right to life of children before birth. This case was instigated by the international abortion lobby because it has failed to persuade the people of Ireland to legalise abortion. But success in the European Court would also be a stepping stone towards the creation of an internationally recognised human right to abortion on demand.

“The rule of law must be based on both justice and reason – and creating a right to kill children in the womb is irrational. If you can kill children before birth, why not after birth? Do children acquire the right to life only in the process of birth? That makes the right to life into a spell that is cast by the magic of the midwife. We call upon believers and non-believers alike to reject such mumbo-jumbo. In the days left before the court hands down its ruling, we call upon believers in particular to pray for the court and to pray that the our judges will not permit the killing of innocent unborn children in the name of human rights. We must pray that no matter what the court decides, unborn children who cannot defend themselves will be safe in Ireland,” Mr Buckley added.

The case emerges at a time of mounting pressure on Ireland to legalise abortion and is seen as part of a much wider international campaign to force the Irish people to accept abortion “on demand”.

Sources

Irish Central
SPUC
LifeSite News

Related sources

Christian Concern: Success for pro-life group in Northern Ireland.
Christian Concern: Women who have abortions are four times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, a new study reveals.
Christian Concern: Britain has highest number of abortions in Europe, figures show.
Christian Concern: Women having abortion run increased risk of giving birth to premature or low-weight babies, a study shows.