The A, B and C v Ireland case will go to the European Court of Human Rights on 8 December. The case has been brought by three women at the instigation of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA). The IFPA is affiliated to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the largest abortion provider in the world. The Irish constitution protects the right to life of the unborn, and the case seeks to change this.If it is successful, countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world will be affected. The effect could be similar to the Roe v Wade judgment in America, which struck down all restrictive laws on abortion in the United States by recognising a right to abortion.
The Irish Constitution says:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”In effect the Irish Constitution is being put on trial and the principles of democracy are under threat. A decision by the court would result in all member-states of the Council of Europe being forced to review their laws. This would include Poland and Malta, both of which recognise the rights of the unborn from conception.
Please see SPUC's briefing about the case. In his most recent encyclical, Caritas in veritate, Pope Benedict warns of the dangers of allowing the culture of death to engrain itself in our communities:
“When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good.”International pro-abortion organisations are attempting to make abortion a universal human right. All countries that have laws giving protection to the unborn child are under threat. Thankfully the High Court in Northern Ireland ruled yesterday against government guidance which implied that abortion is a right.
Please keep Ireland and the whole of Europe in your prayers as this case goes to court. Please pray especially for pro-life nations, that they may continue to act as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world in upholding the right to life of the unborn.
Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk
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