Court of Human Rights violates the right to life

THE recent European Court of Human Rights ruling that Poland should compensate a mother who claimed she was discriminated against when she was refused an abortion is in itself discriminatory and flies in the face of the court’s remit to uphold human rights.

The right to life is the most basic and important human right. Without it all other rights are meaningless.

The right to life of the unborn child has been included among the fundamental human rights acknowledged by the Irish constitution, and procured abortion is thus seen as an abuse of that human right.

Were the European Court of Human Rights to rule in favour of such human rights abuses as racial discrimination, slavery or torture, it would be reasonable to presume the Government would condemn such a judgement.

The Government, if it is truly concerned with protecting human rights, must condemn this anti-life ruling and do all it can at EU level to ensure the right of all states to protect all human life, born and unborn, is upheld under international law.

Sjef Schutte

Chairperson

Galway For Life

Ozanam House

Galway