JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC: UN committee calls for Irish abortion referendum

Wednesday 24 June 2015

UN committee calls for Irish abortion referendum

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called for a referendum on abortion in Ireland. Following a two day hearing in Geneva, the 17-member committee stated its concern at "Ireland's ... legislation on abortion." It has called for a referendum to repeal Article 40.3.3 which protects the right to life of the unborn. The committee also called for a revision of the 2013 Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, claiming it is unclear "what constitutes a threat to a woman’s life." [Irish Times, 22 June]

To see a full news summary for 23 June 2015, click here.

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About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 42 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.