PRESS RELEASE
6TH June
2008
Lawyers Claim Glaring
Legal Loophole Puts Unborn Child In Ireland In Danger Under The Lisbon
Treaty.
In a statement issued
today the Association of Catholic Lawyers of Ireland have claimed that the
Unborn Child will be vulnerable under the new Lisbon Treaty.
Regarding
the assurances that the “Yes” campaign have given, the ACLI state:
“They
want us to accept that something called “Protocol 35” will afford the Irish
Unborn Child as much protection as it currently enjoys.
What is
forgotten by all those who are satisfied by this is that without the Criminal
Law protecting the Unborn Child, that is, The Offences Against the Person Act
1861, s.58 and 59, the Constitutional Protection alone may be rendered
practically useless.”
The statement goes on to say:
“Put simply,
the Irish Government have only sought to protect half of the protection which
our Unborn Children rely on. It has neglected the protection of our Criminal Law
which in practice prevents abortion.”
Protocol 35 states attaches the
eighth amendment to the Lisbon Treaty. However it does not require the European
Union to actually ensure the protection of the Unborn Child in Ireland.
The ACLI warn that as criminal legal powers are being handed over to the
EU under the Lisbon Treaty, and the real protection for the Unborn Child is in
the Criminal Law making abortion illegal, the Irish risk having their criminal
law struck down by Europe.
Johanna Higgins of the ACLI further states
“This is a loop hole that you could literally drive several horse and carriages
through. The Irish Government have failed to protect the Criminal Law which
actually protects the Unborn Child. All the constitution does is puts a
responsibility on the Government to do just that, ensure the child is
protected.”
The Lawyers are claiming that the Eighth amendment only makes
sense within the Irish Constitution, and can only be upheld if the Irish
Constitution is supreme in Ireland, which it will not be under the Lisbon
Treaty, which will supersede the laws of all its member states.
Geraldine Foley explains further: “ The Eighth amendment is an
instruction to the Irish Government to protect the Unborn Child. The legal
authority for the Criminal Law is not based in the Eighth amendment. Alone and
out of context, the eighth amendment cannot suffice to maintain the protection
of the Unborn Child.”
For full statement go to:
http://catholiclawyersblog.wordpress.com/
Previous
Publications: “Briefing Paper on the DHSSPS Draft Guidelines. 2007”
posted
by
Catholic Family News
MPO Box 743 * Niagara Falls, NY
14302
905-871-6292
CFN is published once a month (12 times per year)
Subscription: $28.00 a year.
Request sample copy