26th May 2023
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In this Issue...

READ: (#3) Government’s summary of public consultations to three-year review ignored or mischaracterised views of 3,000 pro-life submissions (#3)

REA (#BREAKING) D: (#m4l) BREAKING: New HSE data suggests there were 8,876 abortions in 2022 (#vid 1)

READ (#vid 1) : (#vid 1) Woman with Down’s syndrome, Heidi Crowther, taking case to ECHR over British government’s discriminatory abortion law (#1)

WATCH: Well done to Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín TD, for speaking in the Dáil last night on the right to life and highlighting the numerous flaws in the recently released three-year review report

WATCH: Fantastic speech last night from independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, who incisively highlighted the flaws in the three-year review report, including its reliance on flawed and biased data to make extreme recommendations

WATCH: Engaging debate on The Niall Boylan Podcast with our spokesperson Eilís Mulroy (#44)

LISTEN: NEW We Are Human Podcast Episode Released! (#66)

SIGN UP NOW: Calling Pro Life Young People: LifeLines Summer Tour 2023 - Book Your Place! (#LBB)

REGISTER: Join Team LoveBoth for the VHI Women's Mini-Marathon 2023 (#mara)

READ: Do you have pro-life material which could be historically relevant? (#history)
Government’s summary of public consultations to three-year review ignored or mischaracterised views of 3,000 pro-life submissions (http://)

Pictured: Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly

The recently released report of the three-year review failed to provide a full, aggregate breakdown of the nature of the recommendations which were received in the public consultation “strand” of the review.

From the thousands of public submissions which raised several crucially important issues related to abortion, the author of the report excluded pro-life input. Instead, it only referenced pro-abortion submissions made by organisations including Terminations for Medical Reasons (TFMR), START Doctors, National Women’s Council, and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

To inform the writing of the report, the Department of Health provided a summary document of the views contained from a total of 6,968 submissions received in 2022. Unfortunately, pro-life proposals were often expressed in a judgemental way or were portrayed as being expressed without evidence. For example, the author of the summary wrote: ‘Some responses highlighted unreferenced cases of failed late term abortions where pain relief is not administered, leading to distress to mother and baby.’ Here the author jumbled two issues together, that of babies born alive having survived abortions and the separate issue of the lack of foetal pain relief used in late-term abortions.

The suggestion that incidents of babies born alive is “unreferenced” is entirely baseless, as submissions which mentioned this issue pointed to the 2020 article, “Fetal medicine specialists’ experiences of providing a new service of termination of pregnancy for fatal fetal anomaly: a qualitative study” in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

With regards to foetal pain relief, the author of this summary document referred to the “belief” expressed in submissions that unborn children can experience pain. However, they failed to point to the scientific evidence for foetal pain relief. The Pro Life Campaign’s submission cited the 2020 peer-reviewed article by Prof Stuart Derbyshire and Dr John Bockmann, “Reconsidering fetal pain”, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics. This was ignored, and the reality that unborn children can experience pain was dismissed as a “belief” among some respondents.

The author of the eventual report also failed to draw on evidence contained in nearly 3,000 submissions which cited official HSE statistics on the large numbers of women who made an initial appointment for an abortion but then did not proceed to the second and final appointment. Instead, she relied on unrepresentative and flawed data published by the START Doctors activist group. She cannot claim to have been unaware of the existence of these HSE national statistics when they were presented to her by thousands of people in their submissions, unless of course she didn’t read them.

It was clear from the summary document that its author treated the nearly 3,000 submissions which raised issues related to pain relief, babies born alive, and other issues with disdain and an overall lack of care.
BREAKING: New HSE data suggests there were 8,876 abortions in 2022 (http://)
In reply to a parliamentary question asked by Deputy Carol Nolan, the HSE provided data from the number of claims for combined termination procedure and aftercare. It showed that there were 8,876 claims made in 2022.*

Speaking on the significance of this information, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said:

“When Minister Donnelly made an impromptu announcement on the radio recently that there were 8,500 abortions last year, many people would have been shocked at this significant jump from previous years. But this new revelation from the HSE provides a more precise figure of 8,876 abortions carried out in 2022. Each of these abortions represents an individual human tragedy which should not be obscured. However, the spiralling scale of the abortion rate is alarming and points to the utter failure of the government to provide adequate safeguards and pathways to positive alternatives.

“There are several factors which could have impacted the 33% increase between the 2021 and 2022 abortion rate. The end of Covid-19 restrictions but the retention of telemedicine could have had an impact here. Telemedicine has caused a de facto erosion of the three-day waiting period by converting the first appointment into a mere telephone call. There are other reasons which could underpin this abortion rate, including the cost-of-living crisis. A combination of these factors and others will undoubtedly have contributed to this alarming jump in the abortion rate.”

“It has been incredibly irresponsible for the three-year review, which failed to present an accurate estimation of the abortion rate, to focus so heavily on dramatically expanding the abortion legislation. The review should have been an opportunity to objectively assess the impact and operation of the abortion law. Instead, the review and its “independent” chairperson have been used by the Minister for Health to run roughshod over government promises during the 2018 referendum and implement an extreme abortion regime in Ireland.”

Deputy Carol Nolan said:

“The evidence mounts with each passing year that there is enormous life-saving potential in retaining what little safeguards exist. Only the most ideologically embittered or those who are hostile to any contradiction to their preferred narrative can deny this.”
Woman with Down’s syndrome, Heidi Crowther, taking case to ECHR over British government’s discriminatory abortion law (http://)

Heidi Crowther has announced she will be taking the British government to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge the ruling in her landmark case, which affirmed the permissibility of abortion up until birth for babies with Down’s syndrome and other disabilities. In 2021, there were 3,370 disability-selective abortions carried out in Britain. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has regularly levelled criticism against countries which allow for disability-selective abortion.

27-year old Heidi is a strong disability advocate who has campaigned tirelessly against the discriminatory clause in Britain’s abortion legislation. For this she has received widespread media coverage and popular support. Explaining her decision to take this case to Strasbourg, Crowther said:

“This law sends a message to people like me with Down’s syndrome that we are less valuable than others. This is not true and it is not right… I have a great life. I want every baby with Down’s syndrome to have the same chance to live and enjoy their life… I hope we win. People shouldn’t be treated differently because of their disabilities, it’s downright discrimination.”
Well done to Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín TD, for speaking in the Dáil last night on the right to life and highlighting the numerous flaws in the recently released three-year review report (http://)
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Fantastic speech last night from independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, who incisively highlighted the flaws in the three-year review report, including its reliance on flawed and biased data to make extreme recommendations (http://)
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Watch the engaging debate on The Niall Boylan Podcast with our spokesperson Eilís Mulroy (http://)
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Check out the debate on The Niall Boylan Podcast with our spokesperson Eilís Mulroy as they engage in a thought-provoking discussion regarding the review of Ireland's abortion laws. The conversation delved into key topics, including the recommendations to remove the crucial three-day wait period, the potential extension of the 12-week limit, and much more.

Throughout the debate, numerous callers expressed their opinions, making this discussion all the more captivating and significant.
NEW We Are Human Podcast Episode Released! (http://)
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New Podcast Episodes Released!

We are Human, the podcast where we aim to empower, educate and inspire people on the pro-life issue.

In the new latest episode we will hear from Eilís Mulroy and Dr Brendan Crowley. Eilís gives a detailed analysis of the 3 year abortion review and GP Dr Brendan Crowley delves into his concerns about some of the chilling recommendations that violate freedom of conscience for Doctors.

Listen to the most recent podcast episodes here ([link removed])
Listen on Spotify here ([link removed])
Calling Pro Life Young People: LifeLines Summer Tour 2023 - Book Your Place! (http://)
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We are delighted to announce a really exciting and fun upcoming event specifically designed for young people interested in the pro life cause. This programme is tailored towards 18 to 26 year olds who are interested in having a fun week during the summer, meeting other pro life young people and participating in some life affirming outreach activities.

This outreach programme brings young pro-lifers together from across the country for a week starting Monday 24th July and finishing on Sunday 30th July.

The tour will be travelling through a number of towns and villages, hosting meetings, participating in the LoveBoth 5K Your Way to raise money for mothers in need along with meeting local pro-life advocates. There will also be fun entertainment activities provided.

Drivers, Accommodation and food providers needed - Can you help?

We are looking for help with providing accommodation, meals and transport in Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Sligo, and Mayo during the tour. If you are in a position to help with any of these things, please contact us here (mailto:[email protected]) and we will be in touch.
Sign Up Now! ([link removed])
Join Team LoveBoth for the VHI Women's Mini-Marathon 2023 (http://)
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By taking part in the Mini Marathon and fundraising you will be supporting the work of the LoveBoth Project and helping pregnant women, new mothers in need, and their babies.

The VHI Women’s Mini Marathon is taking place in Dublin on Sunday June 4th. You can run, jog or walk the event as part of TEAM LOVEBOTH.

REGISTER and receive your sponsorship pack TODAY or sponsor the team at www.loveboth.ie/vhiwmm
Do you have pro-life material which could be historically relevant? (http://)
We are putting out a call for anyone in possession of any documents, photographs, correspondence, etc. relevant to the Irish pro-life movement throughout the decades. We are particularly keen to receive anything in your possession related to periods such as the 1983 referendum. A comprehensive history of the pro-life movement is yet to be written, but the historians of the future will need primary sources. We are asking for people to get in touch with the Pro Life Campaign (mailto:[email protected]) if they possess such material (no matter how old or dusty!) to ensure it is preserved now and not lost to the ages.
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Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. We hope you and your families are keeping well in these unusual times. This email is to update you on what we have been working on recently, including news stories, project updates, and details of upcoming events. If you want to get in touch with us please do so by emailing [email protected]

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