In another devastating defeat in Ireland, a government body settled a lawsuit this week involving donations that American billionaire George Soros made to influence the abortion election.
The Irish Standards in Public Office Commission, or Sipo, initially said Soros’s donations to Amnesty International violated Ireland’s prohibition on outside political spending and demanded that the money be returned.
However, Amnesty sued, and this week, the two parties reached a settlement, very much to the favor of the pro-abortion group, according to the Irish Examiner.
Here’s more from the report:
As part of the settlement agreement, the High Court heard that Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) now accepts its decision that the donation was for political purposes and must be returned was “procedurally flawed”.
Last November SIPO ordered Amnesty to return a donation made in August 2015 by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), a body founded by businessman George Soros, for Amnesty’s international “My Body, Mr Rights” campaign.
The settlement agreement also will have Sipo pay part of the pro-abortion group’s legal costs, according to the report.
Initially, Sipo said the donations violated the 1997 Electoral Act, which prohibits foreign parties from donating more than €100 ($138) to Irish groups for political purposes. It was this same law that social media giant Facebook and other online groups cited as a reason for banning a number of pro-life advertisements ahead of the May election.
The Abortion Rights Campaign, another Irish group that received €25,000 from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, agreed to return the money after Sipo discovered the donation. However, Amnesty fought the order.
The Irish government began asking questions of pro-abortion groups in 2016 after a leaked document from the Open Society Foundations revealed plans to push Ireland and other pro-life countries to legalize abortion, the Catholic News Agency reported at the time.
In reference to Ireland, the document said, “With one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, a win there could impact other strongly Catholic countries in Europe, such as Poland, and provide much needed proof that change is possible, even in highly conservative places.”
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Here’s more from the report:
SIPO told Amnesty to return the monies after finding the donation was prohibited under Section 23 A2 of the 1997 Electoral Act after deeming it to be a donation for political purposes.
Amnesty denied the funds were used for political purposes and in its High Court proceedings said SIPO’s decision was flawed and should be set aside.
Today, Mr Maurice Collins SC for SIPO told Mr Justice Seamus Noonan the matter had been resolved following discussions between the parties.
As part of the settlement, counsel read extracts from a letter from SIPO to Amnesty stating that “the Commission (SIPO) had concluded that the process leading to the adoption of the decision communicated in its decision in November 2017 was procedurally flawed” and “considers it appropriate” to consent to the order quashing the decision.
Soros, one of the richest men in the world, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to pro-abortion groups in Ireland through his foundation, according to Breitbart. This includes €137,000 to Amnesty International Ireland, €132,000 to an affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in Ireland and €25,000 to the Abortion Rights Campaign.
Soros also has been using his money to push abortions in other countries. The billionaire gave a whopping $246 million to pro-abortion groups in the past several years, including $21 million to the United States abortion chain Planned Parenthood. Other recipients include the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Ireland voted to repeal its Eighth Amendment in May, stripping away protections for unborn babies from the Irish Constitution. Now, government leaders are pushing radical pro-abortion legislation that would legalize abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to six months in a wide variety of circumstances. It also would force taxpayers to pay for abortions and force Catholic hospitals to provide them.
