Opposing responses from each campaign

The publication of the expert group on abortion sparked predictably opposing responses from either side of the debate.

Choice Ireland spokes-woman Stephanie Lord, writing in the Irish Examiner today, said expert groups have examined the issue several times and that this latest group was created as a mechanism to put off the “inevitable act of legislating for the X case judgment”.

“The State is now under a legal obligation from the European Court of Human Rights to rectify this legal vacuum and, to a certain extent, the expert group was established to state the obvious — that it is now time to legislate for the X case,” writes Ms Lord.

“It is obvious from the report itself that, despite the provision of ‘options,’ the group were of the view that legislation is what is needed to comply with the judgment.”

Human rights watchdog the Irish Council for Civil Liberties welcomed the 58-page report, with director Mark Kelly describing it as “lucid and authoritative”.

“The Government must now inform the Oireachtas and the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe of its precise timeline to enact the necessary reforms,” said Mr Kelly.

However, he said the Government should not limit itself to the minimum action required to implement this one judgment of the Strasbourg court.

Legal consultant with the Pro-Life Campaign, Caroline Simons, said the report’s claims that guidelines alone may not be enough remedy the violation of the European Convention on Human Rights was “dubious”.

She said it was unfortunate that the three other options in the report all involved legislating for the X case.

“The X case is being presented by those who support abortion as very restrictive. The reality is that the X case does not provide for a duty of care to preserve the life of the baby in the course of medical interventions.

“In addition, the X case heard no psychiatric evidence, while current psychiatric research has failed to find any benefit to women from abortion.”

Ms Simons says a respectable debate is needed on the issue.

“We must also face the fact that if Ireland were to go down the road of legalising abortion along the lines of the X case, we could end up with situations like that in England where babies who survive abortion and are able to breathe unaided are left in a corner without any medical care to die of exposure.

“That frightening reality is the reality of a culture that embraces abortion and disregards unborn children.”