Fianna Fáil leader’s statement on abortion “is so far from the legal reality that it cannot go unchallenged” – Simons

Fianna Fáil leader’s statement on abortion "is so far from the legal reality that it cannot go unchallenged" – Simons

24th May 2013

Responding this afternoon to reports of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin’s claim that the Government’s proposed abortion legislation is "pro-life" and "restrictive", Caroline Simons of the Pro Life Campaign said:

"Micheál Martin’s statement is so far from the legal reality that it cannot go unchallenged.

"The Bill cannot be described as ‘pro-life' or 'restrictive' because it would establish for the first time an abortion regime in Ireland with no time limits and unsupported by the evidence of psychiatrists at the recent Oireachtas Hearings.

"The Bill allows for the life of a baby, say at twenty three weeks, to be directly taken in the case of threatened suicide with no evidence to back it up.  How can Micheál Martin credibly call this pro-life or restrictive?", Ms Simons concluded.

Ends