Lawyer speaks on defending the unborn

July 1983

AT a meeting hosted by the Bray branch of SPUC on Thursday, June 30, Mr Iarfhlaith O’Neill, a member of the Association of The Lawyers for the Defence of the Unborn, gave the background to the need for an amendment to the constitution to protect the right to life of the unborn child.

Mr O’Neill stated that because of the situation worldwide on abortion, concerned people in this country became anxious that abortion could be legalised in Ireland.

There is no specific or implied protection in the constitution for the unborn child.

The only protection the unborn child had was the anti-abortion provisions of the 1861 Offences Against the Persons Act.

This act could be overturned by the courts, or a new act could be passed by the Dáil legalising abortion at some time in the future.

After considerable lobbying, the wording on which the people will vote has been passed through the Dáil and Seanad and all that is wanting is for the date of the referendum to be set.

The wording is ‘ The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn, and with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.’

‘ The anti amendment people were using the equal right clause in the wording to confuse people, stating that women’s lives would be endangered by this clause. However, the wording of the amendment specifically protects the mother,’ said Mr O’Neill.

‘ There must be ‘due regard’ to her right to life, while the life of the baby is not to be defended absolutely but only ‘as far as practicable’.

The professors of obstetrics and gynaecology are unanimous in saying that the amendment will not affect medical practice.’