Once more with feeling ... abortion not an issue

IN his letter (September 22), Daniel Harrington of Cóir says “the EU court, not the Irish people, will have the power to decide on important moral issues, such as abortion”.

Cóir seems to think that by repeating this untruth over and over again, it will somehow become true.

Let me spell it out. If Lisbon is ratified, the combined EU treaties will say (as it does currently): “Nothing in the treaty on European Union, or in the treaties establishing the European Communities, or in the treaties or acts modifying or supplementing those treaties, shall affect the application in Ireland of article 40.3.3 of the constitution of Ireland.”

In other words, nothing in the EU treaties or any ruling of the European Court of Justice — nothing — can change the Irish constitutional position on abortion without the consent of the Irish people in a referendum.

How could it be any clearer? There is virtually unanimous agreement on this point among groups on all sides, from the Referendum Commission, the Catholic bishops, eminent constitutional experts such as Gerard Hogan SC — and even other groups campaigning for a No vote such as Sinn Féin and the Socialist party. And yet Cóir persists in making this ridiculous claim. As someone who is opposed to abortion, I find it grossly offensive that Cóir is using this serious issue — which has nothing to do with Europe — as a Trojan Horse to try to drum up support for a No vote.

Barry Walsh

Brooklawn

Clontarf

Dublin 3