Archbishop Eamon Martin in last minute abortion bill plea; Norris tells Vatican: Stay out of Irish affairs; Fine Gael TD ‘recognised’ anti-abortion protestors from local church; India media – Let women decide
Archbishop Eamon Martin in last minute abortion bill plea
BBC News
Irish politicians who vote knowingly for abortion are acting in “co-operation with evil”, a leading member of the Catholic Church in Ireland has said.
They cannot reconcile this with their faith, the Catholic assistant archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said.
He was speaking before the last in a series of votes on allowing limited abortion in the Republic of Ireland.
The vote is due to take place in the Dáil, the lower house of the Irish parliament, later on Wednesday.
A range of amendments to the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill will be considered in the Dáil ahead of a vote that is due to take place at about 22:00 BST.
More than 160 amendments have been tabled.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Archbishop Martin, who is Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, made what he described as a “last minute appeal” for TDs (members of the Dáil) to reconsider supporting the bill.
“Whatever happens in this vote, the direct and intentional killing of any person is always gravely immoral,” he said,
“Knowingly, willingly and intentionally voting to promote abortion, which is the killing of an innocent child, is co-operation with evil and cannot be reconciled with your faith”.
Dr Martin said the bill would “fundamentally change the whole culture of medical practice in Ireland”.
“This bill will make it permissible, legally, for the killing of an unborn child or the disablement of an unborn child,” he said. More at –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23252725
Norris tells Vatican: Stay out of Irish affairs
Newstalk 106-108 fm
Senator says current stance by Catholic Church on abortion contradicts old one. David Norris has told the Vatican to stop interfering in domestic Irish affairs.
The Senator has demanded an explanation as to why the Holy See ambassador in Ireland – the Papal Nuncio – is allowed to comment on Irish affairs.
Senator Norris said the current stance by the Catholic Church on abortion contradicts its old opinion where termination was tolerated up to a certain point.
He told the Seanad that the Church used to allow abortion until the 166th day of pregnancy. Audio at –
http://www.newstalk.ie/Norris-tells-Vatican:-Stay-out-of-Irish-affairs
Fine Gael TD ‘recognised’ anti-abortion protestors from local church
Irish Times
Fine Gael TD Derek Keating has said he recognised anti-abortion protesters whose names he gave to gardaí after they protested outside his home from his local Catholic church.
The Dublin Mid-West deputy said he was a regular attender at St Mary’s Parish in Lucan.
More than 30 protesters gathered outside his home on Sunday morning, he said.
“They were a group of residents. I would associate them with the local parish church. I’d know some of them from seeing them there,” he said.
A response has been sought from the church.
Mr Keating claimed the protesters rang his doorbell and banged on a window when he did not respond.
“I considered them to be very threatening and it was very intimidating. They were chanting on the street, referring to murder. Neighbours found it unsettling,” he added.
Mr Keating said he called the gardaí, but the group had left before they arrived. He said he provided names of people he recognised to the gardaí. He said some had previously come to his clinic to discuss the issue of abortion legislation.
The TD said he never had any difficulty meeting anybody about any issue.
dna edit: Let women decide
Daily News & Analysis
Under intense pressure following the death of Indian dentist, Derek Keating, Ireland has moved closer, this past week, to legalising abortion under limited circumstances through a highly restrictive legislation.
Savita died of septicaemia after hospital staff rejected her husband’s plea to abort the foetus and waited until its heartbeat stopped. The government, caught between overwhelming public opinion supporting abortion in medical emergency and rape cases, and highly influential pro-life lobbies supported by the Catholic Church, has played it safe by introducing the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. The legislation ensures a degree of protection to women in circumstances akin to what Savita faced but falls short of demands of pro-choice women’s groups.
Their argument that continuing with pregnancy is a woman’s personal choice involving her body, personal health, and future finds no mention in the bill. It allows medical termination if two doctors certifies the mother’s life at risk from the pregnancy and more problematically, if she appears suicidal. Three doctors, two of them psychiatrists, must certify she is a suicide risk. The bill draws direct inspiration from a 1992 Supreme Court ruling which allowed legal termination of pregnancy on these two grounds. For 20 years, six Irish governments failed to enact legislation to help properly implement the judgment. Consequently, doctors shied away from abortions fearing criminal charges, despite pregnant women facing life-threatening circumstances. British health authorities estimate that nearly 5,000 Irish women travel to England every year for abortions.
Though surveys indicate almost 80 per cent support for limited abortions, the Church has opposed even this half-way legislation. Its backers say the bill is a “Trojan horse” that will eventually liberalise women’s access to abortion. But their argument of the right to life of the unborn foetus despite the risk to the mother’s life beats all logic. However, the survey results and the government bill getting an overwhelming 138-24 backing on Tuesday, when put to an initial vote, indicates the tide is turning against the Catholic orthodoxy.
India, which legalised abortion in the early 1970s, would find the Irish legislation and Catholic Church’s stance regressive. Here, social, rather than religious, factors prevent many Indian women from making independent choices on pregnancy. India’s demons are, however, of a more beastly nature. Illegal abortions to terminate female foetuses continue rampantly in every state. But whether in Ireland or in India, in a religious or social context, what remains compromised is the right of women to decide.
http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/1858828/editorial-dna-edit-let-women-decide