It emerged today that Amnesty Ireland has been informed by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) that a substantial donation it received from the US of over one hundred thousand dollars is in breach of the Electoral Act. Amnesty is protesting SIPO’s ruling and has indicated it is prepared to break the law and keep the money. They claim the Electoral Act is being weaponised by those opposed to human rights and equality
Commenting on the news, Cora Sherlock of the Pro Life Campaign said: “Today’s statement from Amnesty is nothing more than a public relations exercise to disguise the fact that they have been receiving vast sums of money from abroad to fund their campaign to repeal the 8th Amendment.
“Amnesty are behaving like they are above the law and are hiding behind the term ‘human rights’ as a justification for everything they do.
Ms Sherlock said: “It is important to recall that the Open Society Foundation stated when giving the money to Amnesty that it was to assist the coordination of groups in Ireland with a view to repealing the 8th Amendment and taking away legal protection for the baby in the womb. The involvement of this US based organisation in the Irish abortion debate represents a gross interference in our democracy and in safeguarding the right to life. Amnesty should immediately return the money and stop trying to portray itself as a victim in all of this.”
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