Pro-life at home, anti-life to the EU and UN

A British broadcaster recently screened a film about the rise of Hitler. While it attempted to explain that rise to power, it left many questions unanswered.

What did emerge, though, was that Hitler probably wouldn’t have gained power if otherwise honourable politicians hadn’t compromised bit by bit, until their parliamentary democracy was swept aside.

There is a similar erosion today of democracy and basic human rights. Our government has indicated its intention of not supporting the Costa Rican motion at the UN against both reproductive and so-called “therapeutic” cloning.

The vote is expected on October 20 or 21. It seems probable that the Costa Rican motion will succeed anyway. Nevertheless, the government have shown their hand in a related area, in that they intend, in November 2003, not to oppose funding for embryonic stem cell research at EU level.

In the latter case the Irish vote will be vital, and the government have reversed their previous position on this. What are the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, Brian Cowen, and Micheál Martin up to? Can they afford to alienate further the pro-life vote at present?

An inclusive reading of Article 40.3.3° in Bunreacht na hÉireann, in line with the Irish text, would assure protection for human life starting from fertilisation.

The right to life is not the government’s to give away.

They are constitutionally bound to protect and vindicate it.

The trend of government policy over the last few years has been clear. They make a great show at home of being more pro-life than the opposition, but at EU and UN level they give vital support to the anti-life stance.

The government Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction has indicated that it would back the disenfranchisement of the early embryo. The government abortion proposal of March 6, 2002, attempted to bestow constitutionality on a proposed statute law aimed at limiting the protection afforded the embryo.

Very few Irish pro-lifers now believe the government is acting in good faith on right-to-life issues. The scales finally are beginning to drop from the eyes of the remaining pro-life government loyalists.

The pro-life vote now can make or break a government and, over the years, pro-life organisations have gained a wealth of political skill. Let us protect basic human rights and our Irish democracy, while we still have them.

Séamas de Barra,

83, Beaufort Downs,

Rathfarnham Village,

Dublin 14.