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SPUC supports Dana against Irish bishops on abortion referendum
Westminster, 22 February 2002--The national director of the UK's Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has expressed his support for Dana Rosemary Scallon MEP after she was criticised by leading Irish Catholic churchmen for her opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion.John Smeaton said: "One leading churchman after another is rounding
on faithful Catholics who are rightly appalled at the totally
misleading campaign being run by the government and supported by church
leaders on the proposal to amend the constitution.
"Is it the same faithful people who are paying for the million
leaflets which the bishops are circulating, or is it the government?
"When the debate on the amendment began, Cardinal Connell, the
archbishop of Dublin, said that he didn't want 'people going at each
others' throats'. However, the cardinal and his fellow-clergy are now
attacking one of Ireland's foremost champions of the pro-life cause."
Not only has Cardinal Connell criticised Dana, but so has Bishop John Mc Areavey of Dromore.
John Smeaton continued: "SPUC has consulted a Rome-based firm of
canon lawyers who have described the Irish bishops' statement on the
referendum as 'unfortunate' and 'erroneous'. They make the point that
the bishops have overstepped their competence by making a political
judgement on a moral matter and of mistakenly defining that
'incompetent' judgement as an act of their moral teaching office."
Mr Smeaton added: "The constitutional change would remove the
criminal law's protection for the pre-implantation embryo thus
rendering lawful the abortion-inducing morning-after pill and other
abortifacient drugs and devices. This point has been stressed again and
again by the Irish prime minister, the health minister, and other
government ministers, as well as by leading lawyers in Ireland.
"The change would open the door to human embryo
experimentation. It would also strengthen Irish citizens' right to
travel to obtain an abortion and to receive information on abortion
services. This situation, dating from the 1992 abortion referendum, has
already led to a sharp increase in the numbers of abortions on Irish
women and it will now grow worse still.
"Furthermore, the amendment would direct abortion throughout
pregnancy in the course of an operation to save the mother's life and
not only as an unintended result - in direct conflict with the teaching
of the Roman Catholic church to which the majority of Irish citizens
faithfully belong.
"These and other flaws in the proposals would worsen the
situation of the unborn and render unborn children even more vulnerable
to future liberal interpretations of the law not only by courts but
also by individual doctors.
"The proposals endanger unborn children worldwide. Governments
elsewhere will say: 'If the Irish will accept such a law, our people
will too.'
"Dana is absolutely right to call for a 'no' vote in the
referendum. I pray that the Irish people will reject these pro-abortion
proposals and demand a referendum which restores full protection for
unborn children in their laws and constitution."
The Irish people will vote on the constitutional amendment in a referendum on the sixth of next month.
