Monday, February 21, 2011

Ireland United for Life seek Electoral Pledge from leaders of all main political parties

We reported on Friday (Feb 18th) on a press conference called by Ireland United for Life fronted by two former MEP's Dana rosemary Scallon and Kathy Sinnott which called for clear statements from all party leaders that in government they will protect unborn life. The new all Ireland umbrella group for the pro-life movement in Ireland is seeking an electoral pledge from the leaders of all the main parties in the upcoming election as follows


ELECTORAL PLEDGE

IRELAND UNITED FOR LIFE, an all–island alliance of over 30 cross community groups, calls on all Party Leaders and candidates, in the forthcoming General Election, to give an electoral pledge to defend human life at all stages, from conception until natural death and that if elected - :

Ø  They will not dismantle Ireland’s Constitution and will maintain the people’s sovereign and democratic right, in final appeal, to decide all questions of national policy according to the requirements of the common good. [1]

Ø  They will respect and uphold the Constitutional right of the Irish people to decide on Ireland’s unique pro-life status. [2]

Ø  They will not legislate for abortion and will absolutely oppose any attempt by unelected judges from the European Court of Human Rights, (ECHR) to usurp the Constitutional right of the Irish people to decide on abortion.[3]

[1] Constitutional of Ireland Article 6.1. 

[2] A recent Millward-Brown Lansdowne poll found that the majority of people are in favour of ‘constitutional protection for the unborn that prohibits abortion but allows the continuation of the existing practice of intervention to save a mother’s life in accordance with Irish medical ethics’. 

[3] Irish Attorney General Paul Gallagher, when addressing the ECHR regarding the ABC v Ireland case, asserted that Irish laws - which have forbidden abortion in almost every case for a century and a half - were based on "profound moral values deeply embedded in Irish society" and that anti-abortion legislation had been ‘endorsed in three separate referendums’.

IRELAND UNITED FOR LIFE urges all voters to vote only for candidates and parties who support this pledge.