The European Court of Human Rights has struck a blow to Ireland's law against abortion.
The complaint, which has been dubbed the "Roe v. Wade of Europe," was filed by three Irish women -- identified as "A," "B," and "C" -- who sued to abolish the country's constitutional amendment that protects innocent life. The court ultimately ruled that A and B's rights were not violated, but the rights of C were because doctors had said she would die without an abortion.
Joseph Meaney (Human Life International)"Basically, it's the European Court of Human Rights trying to impose the permission of abortion on Ireland, which is another case of European institutions trying to trample on local laws when they tend to be pro-life," contends Joseph Meaney of Human Life International (HLI).
The court decided that Ireland should provide a more clear procedure to determine the risk of a mother's life and her access to abortion, but Meaney believes that decision is wrong as it ultimately says Irish law provides for abortion to save the life of the mother.
"It's actually a misinterpretation because...the Irish constitution says...that both the child and the mother have an equal right to life. Therefore, one has to try and save both," the pro-lifer explains. "It does not give any permission for abortion because abortion is never a treatment."
Meaney goes on to suggest that Ireland ought to ignore the court's ruling, just as Italy did when the court ordered that crosses be removed from school classrooms. In addition, he points out that the European Convention on Human Rights contains no right to abortion.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: December 17, 2010
