Northern Ireland Assembly Speeches From Pro Life Debate

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to see who said what in the Abortion debate held in the Northern Irish Assembly on the 22nd October 2007.

Pro Life Motion Sucessful By A Large Majority in Norths Assembly!

Left to right Jeffrey Donaldson MLA MP, Johanna Higgins Barrister, Bernie Smyth Director Precious Life, Iris Robinson MLA MP

The Pro Life motion tabled before the Assembly was won by a clear majority of MLAs in favour of protecting the unborn child.

Below is the ACLI press release:

Pro Life Motion A Success At Stormont as Legal Flaws in Draft Abortion Guidelines Undermine DHSSPS

 

On the 22^nd October a motion was passed in Stormont by a large majority to protect the Interests of the unborn child in the North of Ireland.
 
The motion had been tabled by Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MLA MP and Mrs Iris Robinson MLA MP. It proposed that the Assembly should reject the Draft Abortion Guidelines and any attempt to liberalize the law in Northern Ireland.
 
Mrs Johanna Higgins, Barrister was instrumental in advising Precious Life or the legal flaws in the Draft Guidelines. She attended meetings with Precious Life and MLAs over the last few months to alert them to the dangers inherent in the Draft Guidelines. She also wrote a Briefing Paper outlining the various faults which was published and distributed to all the MLAs.
 
Mrs Higgins says “I was glad to be able to assist in the defence of the unborn by highlighting legal errors in the interpretation of the law which had been made by those who had drafted these guidelines.”
 
“We were delighted by the robust majority in the Assembly and the moving speeches made on behalf of the unborn child.”
 
Mrs Higgins went on to say “There seems to be some misunderstanding of the law by those who suggest that there is provision for abortion on mental health grounds. This is certainly not the view of Criminal lawyers.”
 
The Minister for Health in his speech addressing the Assembly on Monday reiterated this view of the mental health ground and the effect of the Bourne case.
 
Mrs Higgins states “In my opinion the Ministers statement of the law on this matter is erroneous.”

The ACLI has undertaken to complete a review of the Criminal Law in the area of Abortion Law. The ACLI also look forward to the continued support of the American Catholic Lawyers Associstion.
 
“We were delighted at the support of Mr Christopher Ferrara, President and Chief Counsel of the American Catholic Lawyers Association. The ACLA have many great pro life victories under their belt”. Says Mrs Higgins.

 from left) Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA [DUP], Dr Kieran Denney MLA [Independent], Bernadette Smyth, Pat Ramsey MLA [SDLP], Jim Wells MLA [DUP], Johanna Higgins Barrister, Moira Brennan

LEGAL “BRIEFING PAPER” A CRITIQUE OF THE ABORTION GUIDELINES ISSUED BY THE DHSSPS

Legal Briefing Paper Click Here

Click above to see a breakdown of the legal analysis of the Draft Guidelines on Abortion issued by the Department of Health.

This legal analysis is a lay persons version of the indepth legal submission presented to the Department of Health last April. The briefing paper attempts to breakdown complex legal issued and explain how the Draft Guidelines issued by the Department of Health are a misinterpretation of the law.

PRESS RELEASE REGARDING PRO LIFE MOTION, STORMONT, MONDAY 22ND OCTOBER

Association of Catholic Lawyers of Ireland

 

PRESS RELEASE

IRISH AND AMERICAN CATHOLIC LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONS SUPPORT PRO LIFE MOTION BEFORE STORMONT.

 

The newly formed Association of Catholic Lawyers in Ireland (ACLI) has written in support of the Pro Life motion tabled by Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and Mrs Iris Robinson.

Co-Signatories to the letter, which has been sent to various papers , are the American Catholic Lawyers Association (ACLU), a group which has much experience since 1990 in representing Pro Life litigants and defendants in America. .

Mrs Johanna Higgins, Barrister and co-founder of the ACLI says; “The group was formed mainly in response to the attempts to introduce abortion into our society by whatever means.”

Mrs Higgins further states “I have worked for some years on a charitable basis for pro life groups and wanted to formalise this work with the formation of the ACLI.”

“We were delighted to receive the support of Mr Christopher Ferrara on behalf of the ACLU which has some great pro life victories under its belt.”

Mrs Higgins has been advising Precious Life regarding the Draft Abortion Guidelines issued by the Department of Health. She has written a Briefing Paper on the Guidelines which lays out the main legal faults and concerns and consolidates a more detailed submission which was presented to the Department last April.

“It is of great concern that the Department of Health could have made such glaring errors in law and effectively produced guidance, which if implemented could lead to a very liberal interpretation of the law.”

“ We feel it is vitally important to support our MLAs who are standing forward on this issue and who are acting in the interests of justice for the unborn child.” stated Mrs Higgins.

The full text of the letter reads:

amdg+

Dear Sir,

With regard to the proposed parliamentary motion before the Northern Irish Assembly tabled by Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MLA MP and Mrs Iris Robinson MLA MP against the Draft Abortion Guidelines issued by the Department of Health we should like to make the following comments.

There exist in the North of Ireland two statutes which contain the two offences of Illegal Abortion and Child Destruction. These are serious Criminal offences both of which carry possible life sentences. It is our view that the Draft Guidelines put forward by the Department of Health misrepresent the legal position in this jurisdiction with regard to these offences. The effect of that misrepresentation will, in our opinion, lead to an increase in the deliberate abortion of unborn children. If these direct abortions are carried out as a result of misrepresentation, and are in fact illegal then , as with all criminal activity, there will have to be appropriate action taken against the perpetrators. Such is the magnitude of the task of explaining the law on this matter.

As lawyers we find it is our clear duty to stand against such wrongful interpretation of the law. Especially because in this case the law protects the most vulnerable in our society, the unborn child. It is an injustice to both the people of a country and to the rule of law itself to treat with contempt the true meaning of a statute.

Those of us who live in countries where we have had to sustain the moral horror of virtually freely accessible abortion due to, what is in our view, the corruption of social justice, have long held in high regard the people of the North and South of Ireland and their refusal to countenance liberal abortion.

We therefore wholeheartedly support the Pro Life motion tabled by Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and Mrs Iris Robinson and pray that it is successful and that the unborn remain protected, as was the intention of the persons who drafted the above laws in good faith.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs Johanna Higgins LLB, Barrister
Ms Geraldine Foley LLB, Barrister
Miss Karen McMillan LLB, Barrister
Association of Catholic Lawyers of Ireland
Mr Christopher A. Ferrara, J.D., Attorney

President and Chief Counsel American Catholics Lawyers Association, Inc.

United States

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRO LIFE PROTESTERS OUTSIDE THE HOTEL CASTILLE, MALTA

In response to this information from the malta independent.

 ”Gift of Life and the pro-life movement are calling on all Maltese, in particular, Maltese women, to come together in a show of unity against abortion, to protest peacefully and silently outside the Castille Hotel in Valletta tomorrow at 8.30pm.

This protest is being called against the message of death that Dr Rebecca Gomperts of the abortion ship Women on waves brings to our Island.

Tomorrow evening, Dr Gomperts will be holding a press conference followed by a public debate at the Castille Hotel on the need for legalised abortion in Malta.

In the name of the unborn child, Gift of Life, backed by the support of the vast majority of the Maltese people are appealing to both Dr Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister and Dr Alfred Sant, Leader of the Opposition, to come together to act to safeguard and protect the right to life of the unborn child.”

To the people of malta gathered before the hotel castille on behalf of their unborn children

The Association of Catholic Lawyers of Ireland wishes to extend its support and prayers to the people of Malta in their fight to keep their beautiful country free from the scourge of abortion.

We pray to the Immaculate Heart for you this day. That your enemies will not be successful and that you will keep safe your children and your children’s children.

In both the north and south of our own country, Ireland, we are also engaged in protecting ourselves from a sustained attack by the abortion providers.

Those who murder the unborn are shamed by those who will not allow this crime in their countries.

God bless you malta.

For the association of catholic lawyers of Ireland