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PR: Harney Passes the Buck on Embryo Research
25.08.2006
Under pressure from phone calls from the public opposing embryo research, Táiniste Mary Harney’s office today attempted to pass responsibility for the issue to Minister Mícheál Martin.
Members of the public who called Mary Harney’s office were told that the issue had nothing to do with the Táiniste, and were instructed to phone Minster Martin’s office instead as he was “heading up that issue.”
Mary Harney is receiving a large amount of calls opposing embryo research as a result of Youth Defence’s No Exceptions Campaign which is currently in full swing around the country. 120,000 leaflets opposing embryo research have been distributed in the past three weeks. The leaflets ask readers to call the Táiniste’s office to register their opposition to any curtailment of legal protection for the human embryo in Ireland.
Eoghan de Faoite of Youth Defence said today that the organisation had been contacted by members of the public who said they had been misinformed by the Táiniste’s office. “Mary Harney is obviously feeling the pressure of so many phone-calls opposing embryo destruction as a result of Youth Defence’s current advertising and information campaign. She’s trying to duck her responsibilities by passing the buck to Mícheál Martin, who was voting on funding for embryo research at the EU”, said the Youth Defence Chairman. “It doesn’t say much for the Fianna Fail/PD partnership but it indicates just how unpopular experimenting on human life is with the Irish people.”
Mary Harney received the report of the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction in May of 2005 and has passed it on to the Committee on Health and Children for review. This committee is due to report back to her in the coming weeks. Eoghan de Faoite continued, “the report of the CAHR makes clear recommendations favouring the deliberate destruction of the human embryo and it will ultimately be the decision of Mary Harney to decide what to do about these recommendations. The Táiniste’s office is being very dishonest, and is deliberately deceiving members of the public, in claiming to have no involvement in the regulation of embryo research.”
Youth Defence have spent more than €75,000 on their current campaign which involves nationwide advertising, leaflet distribution and public information meetings. The campaign calls for a ban on embryo research and encourages people to lobby Mary Harney to show their opposition to embryo destruction. Eoghan de Faoite concluded, “the response to the campaign so far has been phenomenal with more and more people getting involved every day. The results too speak for themselves as it is clear that Mary Harney is being put under pressure not to adopt the recommendations of the CAHR which will allow for the destruction of human embryos”
Youth Defence are continuing their campaign and look forward to their public information meetings in September which will feature Jacki Rabon, adult stem cell patient from the US. Another 100,000 leaflets are being printed to meet demand. More information is available at www.embryoresearch.org
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