Failure to legislate criticised

A FAILURE to protect the rights of women has been exposed by the European Court ruling on abortion, a human rights groups has claimed.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) welcomed the judgment pointing out that judges had noted the severe sanctions imposed for performing an abortion under Ireland’s “archaic laws”.

The ICCL said the judgment showed the country’s failure to properly legislate after the 1992 Supreme Court ruling in the X case, which established the right of women to an abortion if the pregnant woman’s life was at risk.