Ireland Abortion Ban Gets Help in European Court From U.S. Pro-Life Law Firm
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 22, 2008
Dublin, Ireland (LifeNews.com) — A leading American pro-life law firm has been given permission to come to the aid of Ireland officials as they defend their laws prohibiting abortions in a European court. The court has granted the Family Research Council, represented by Alliance Defense Fund attorneys, the opportunity to defend the laws.
The European Court of Human Rights will hold a hearing on a case involving three women who traveled to Britain to obtain abortions.
They hope to overturn Ireland’s strong pro-life laws that prohibit abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger.
They say they were denied their rights because the Irish pro-life abortion law requires them to travel out of the country for an abortion.
They also claim the law jeopardizes their health and well-being and they are basing their argument on four articles in the European Convention on Human Rights.
ADF Chief Counsel Benjamin Bull, told LifeNews.com the firm is looking forward to its involvement in the important case.
“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless," he said. "ADF and FRC are looking forward to defending Ireland’s abortion ban so that scores of pre-born children are guaranteed the protection the Irish people gave them."
Bull says the ramifications of the decision in this case can’t be understated.
“This case is not only pivotal to Europe; it’s pivotal to America. With greater frequency, the U.S. Supreme Court looks across the ocean to see what other countries are doing when considering its own cases," he says. "This case could be the Roe v. Wade of Europe.”
The European Court of Human Rights granted review of the case, A, B, & C v. Ireland. The court decided to allow the Family Research Council and two other pro-life organizations to intervene as defendants in the lawsuit and asked them to file a joint brief defending their position.
A hearing could occur next year.
Bill Saunders, FRC’s human rights counsel and senior fellow of the Center for Human Life and Bioethics, also commented on the case.
“Family Research Council is proud to be working with the Alliance Defense Fund in this important battle,” he said. “Ireland has wisely chosen to protect its most vulnerable citizens and we will work tirelessly to ensure that unborn children remained protected in Ireland.”
The identity of the women is kept confidential under the lawsuit, but one woman says she had an ectopic pregnancy, another was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer at the time of her pregnancy, and the third had her other children taken away by government officials at the time she became pregnant.
The pro-abortion Irish Family Planning Association is backing the women in the case as part of its crusade to make abortions legal in Ireland.
“We hope the case will advance quickly through the court, ultimately making a strong recommendation to the Government to reform Irish laws and the current status quo on abortion,” an IFPA representative told the Irish Times newspaper.
The case was originally launched three years ago but the European court requested more information from the Irish government and the women involved.
The final decision of the court is binding and it may hold a public hearing on the case sometime in 2009 or it could decide sooner without a hearing.
IFPA says it is encouraged the court may possibly decide in favor of the women after it ruled in favor of a Polish woman in another abortion case.
Meanwhile, pro-life groups in Ireland are pushing for a stronger constitutional amendment that would further protect unborn children from abortions.
The European Court of Human Rights is part of the Council of Europe that deals with issues of democracy and human rights.
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