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is TheProLifeCampaign lobby a non-denominational group, itssupport drawing froma widecross-section of lrishsociety. promotes TheCampaign prc-life education and human lifeat all defends fromconception stages death. to natural It alsocampaigns for resources to support women andassistpregnant andthosein needof healing afterabortion.
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&w ffiffiffiffiffiwwffi fuwffiffiffi ffiffiffw ProfessorWilliamBinchyand Dr. BerryKiely at a recentPro Life meetingin Dublin
The iob of sur politicalleadersis to lead and enact leglslatianneeded to protectthe lives of the mcst vulnerableamong us. Sa we should be concernedpoliticallywhen we see our legislatorsshying away from legislationneededto protectour unbornfelNowhuman beings. We have seen several worrying straws in the wind recently.One was the pre-trialGovernmentsubmissionto the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights(ECHR)on the D case, that a 'tenableargument'couldbe made that unbornchildrenwith a disabilityare nat protectedunder Article40.3.3 of the lrish Constitutlon. Anotherexamplewas the Government'sdecisionin July at the EU Councilof Ministersnot to supportcountrieslike Germany,Poland and Slovakiain opposingdestructiveresearchon human embryos. ln the coming General Electionin 2007, voters are entitledto knaw preciselywhere candidatesand partiesstand on importantright to life issues.The Pro Life Campaignrecentlyproducedmaterialsto focus public attentionon this matter.A main leafletwith the caption 'Your Vote Mattsrs * u$e iVto protect human life' will be distributedover the coming weeks. The Governmentneeds to urgentlyre-ccnsiderits whole approach. Unlessthey get their act togetherand draw up an ethicallycoherent,
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consistentlypro-lifeapproachto importantlife issues,they simply won't have time to reverse the alienationof pro-life voters.
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Government m isrepresents EU Vote on embryo research
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of its The Government attemptedto downplaythe significance recentvoteon embryoresearchat the EU Councilof Ministers. Beforethe vote,MinisterMiche6lMartinclaimedhe was defending 'ethicalsubsidiarity'. In reality,the votewas aboutwhetheror not EU taxpayers(includinglrishtaxpayers)shouldbe forced to fund researchthat requiredthe deliberatedestruction of humanembryos,underthe SeventhFramework (FP7)on Development. Programme Behindall the spin,MinisterMartinrepeatedlyrefusedto join otherEU countriesopposedto lhe funding.Germany,Poland,Austda,Mafta,Slovakia,Lithuaniaand Luxembourgobjectedto the morepromisingadult funding,callinginsteadfor increasedsupportfor the ethicallynon-problematic, stemcell research.Unlikeolhercountries,lrelandhad no qualmsaboutdestroyinghumanembryos. As a result,the outcomewas most unsatisfactory.The Councilof Ministersagreedto fund research on embryonicstemcellsprovidedthe embryosare first destroyedby non-EU-funded sources. Tarqayers'moneymay then lawfullybe spent on researchusingthose stem cells. That is 'ethical subsidiadty'in practice- othersdestroythe embryos,then in our namethe EU fundsthe research, pretendingour handsare clean,ignoringthe killingthat producedthosestemcells. hypocritically
Maiority support legal protection for human embryo on public In July,the ProLifeGampaignpublished the resultsof a newopinionpollit commissioned for humanembryos.The pollwascarriedout by MillwardBrowr/lMSand attitudesto legalprotection readsas follows: "Gurrentlyexperimentationinvolving the destruction of human embryos does not take place in lreland,Do you think the Ddil should enshrinethe protectionof the humanembryo in law or not?" 55"/"of respondents saidthe Dailshouldlegislateto protectthe humanembryo,14o/o disagreed and 31"/"did not knowor had no opinion,Of those vnhoexpressedan opinion 79o/"wanted the embryo protected by law and 21"/odid not. The resultsshowsolidpublicbackingfor legalprotectionof the humanembryo. It is now up to the Govemment to act on the issueand bringforwardthe necessarylegislation.
The latesttelephonesurveyon abortioncommissioned by the CrisisPregnancyAgency(CPA) public (aged that the claims 64"/"of 18-64)regardabortionas acceptablein some circumstances. The findingsrun contraryto mostotherrecentpollson abortion. Givenhow the questionsare framedthe resultsare unsurprising. The questionson abortion make no distinction betweenethicalinterventions in pregnancyto save the life of the mother and inducedabortionwherethe life of the unbornchildis directlytargeted.By ignoringsuch the surveyis effectively crucialdistinctions meaningless. Those advocatingabortionlegislationare intenton blurringimportantethicaldistinctions. There is a fundamentaldifferencebetweenearlydeliveryto protectthe life of the mother (thoughthe baby may not survive)and abortioncarriedout with the intentionof targeting the life of the baby.Pollswhichtake accountof thesedistinctions consistently show pro-life majorities.The CPA has deviatedfrom its originalmandateand has becomelittlemore than a radicalcampaigningbody,usingtaxpayers'moneyto promoteaboftion.
lnter#sting quotes on abortion "l am a member af a group called Silent No More, of mostly women who say they regret their aborti*n t'tn posf-cbortive so I knaw fhls, when we abart the child, Hrcvfofsfe hls *r her rghts, we the mothers suffer tremendously, and our families suffer." Dr AlvedaKing,nieceol nrurdered civilrightsleaderRev Martir"r 2005) l-utherKingJr" Newsweek{January,
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"l find it impossibte to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction af human life is a legitimate solution to a prablerx that is mostly social, economic and psychological. Every woman deserves better than abortion, and every child deserves a chanee at life."
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Patricia1-"ieaton, lwri-time[mmy winner,best knownf*r her roleas Debrain the hit CB$ c*medy, "EverybodyLovesRaymond"" Feministsfor Life Statement(April,2004)
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"Ther& rs sornelhing deeply moving absat the irnage of a baby cocooned inside ffie wamb. When four-dimensional scans first beca,ne available three years &go, I sat with parents who trembl*d at the sigttt af their soon-to-be newborn. Advanced scanning means we have a window on the secret Iife of faetuses. At ll weeks, we can see them yawn, and even take sfeps. At 22 weeks, tttey begin to open their eyes. Between 20 and 24 weeks we watct't as they seem to cry, smile and frawn. Understandably, fhese incredible images haye inftuenced the debate on abortian. I pioneered the 4-D scanning technique in the UK and it has certainly caused me ta question my *wn apinians." ProfessorStuartCampbell,is a consultant at the CreateHealthClinic.London,and was headof Obstetricsand Gynaecology at King'sCollegeSchoolof Medicine.The DailyTelegraph(October, 2006)
Honorary President: DesHanafin Chairperson: DrJoeMcCarroll Deputy Chairperson: CoraSherlock LegalAdviser:Professor WilliamBinchy Published bytheProLifeCampaign, Dublin1. 34Gardiner StreetUpper, Tel:01-B748090 Fax:01-8748094 prolife@ Email: indigo.ie Website: www.prolifecampaign.ie
Medical Adviser: DrBerryKiely LegalConsultant: Caroline Simons Secretary: JohnO'Reilly Education Officers:Geraldine Martin Dr RuthCullen
Wmrme*k a*w&sa*es euth &*rasXm **y&nr&r& & burdemt?! wtrtxmxx Sar*r:ess *VsrtlscJrrexsserted $er anfi-fife yieaErsfn * quesffsn and arvswersss$isff wittz the fndep**d*nf af l-*ndcrn" Warn*cf<,wfiose ",984reperf Ied fo the tegat "regulatien" *f enr&rytr expenmenfafic* in tt're UK, *nswered a rcfige of guesfion$ $r? ethic*l rssyes srlsf} as s$srfr$t?, *uth*na&ia and eugenrcs. When asked wlly sfie sapparfed ffie rigtzt fa assfsfed sursfde she ckfrned stle was o't:lroyed,ncre Sy compassior? than f,sâ&#x201A;ŹssF." $fis sard pe*pte sfiaufd #ie wflen "y*.t are sare t*at yau are a burden, and eni*y r?s cs{rfpensafary pfcasures. " ln 2004,Warnockwas a specialguestof the Commissionon Assistedl-lumanReproduction{CAHR) at a conferencein DublinCastlefundedby the Government.The lndependent,London(July,2006)
youarewillingto devotesomeol yourfreetimeto findingnewwaysof bringing Perhaps thepro-life message to your youarewillingto makea smallfinancial community? Perhaps commitment to secure theimplementation oftheProLife programme years? Campaign overthenextthree youhaveyourownideasonhowyoucanbesthelpthe Perhaps Regardless campaign? of howyouwishto help,please takethetimeto callustodayandwewillsendyoumoredetails.
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