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PR: Pro-Life victory as 'guidelines' withdrawn
14.07.2010
We’re very glad to report that, just days after the massive Rally for Life in Belfast, the health department in the north of Ireland has officially withdrawn the abortion guidelines they had re-issued. As previously reported, pro-life organizations have argued from the beginning that these guidelines could be used to legalize abortion through the back door.
On Monday a letter was sent to Jim Wells, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Health Committee, from the department announcing that it had withdrawn its interim guidelines on abortion and would be launching a public consultation.
Precious Life, who has spent years battling the guidelines, welcomed their withdrawal and noted that the Department of Health has now issued and overturned or withdrawn such guidelines twice so far. In 2009, pro-life groups challenged the legality of the first guidelines in the High Court. Lord Justice Girvan ruled that the guidelines issued by the Department of Health were not clear and agreed that they would be open to misinterpretation. He added that the language used in the guidelines was "ambiguous" and "a trap to the unwary” and warned that they could create problems for doctors and other medical practitioners.
“Given Justice Girvan’s remarks, it was particularly objectionable that the Department of Health choose to issue very similar guidelines in February of this year,” said Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life. She said the department had repeatedly ignored the wishes of the pro-life majority, the motion passed by the Assembly, the evidence of medical practitioners and even the High Court, in pursuing an abortion agenda.
“Sheer persistence, public activity and prayer have now forced the department to back down,” said Mrs Smyth. “We’ll be keeping a sharp eye on what happens now since they have shown that vigilance is necessary to protect mothers and unborn babies. We’ll also be making sure that pro-life voices are heard in the public consultations.”
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