Speaking straight from the heart, Senator Rónán Mullen defended pro-life volunteers from the unfounded and unfair depictions of them by the Minister for Health during exchanges in the Seanad. Senator Mullen didn’t let the minister away with any of it!
Watch short clip of Senator Mullen's exchange with the Minister for Health here
Watch longer version of Senator Mullen's contribution in the Seanad here
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Assisted Dying (JCAD) is expected next week to recommend that doctors who don’t wish to end the life of a patient (in the event of euthanasia being legalised) must refer their patient to a colleague who is prepared to carry out the lethal intervention.
Forcing doctors to take an active role to ensure the life of a patient is ended makes a total mockery of conscientious objection and is akin to forcing someone who doesn’t want to supply heroin to a friend to have to arrange for their friend to get it from someone else. Either way, you’re complicit in your friend coming in contact with heroin.
The issue of freedom of conscience needs to be brought front and centre in this debate by exposing the pretend and insincere attempts to safeguard it.
Media reports are also suggesting that the committee’s recommendations will call for criminal sanctions for anyone who coerces someone to end their life, if euthanasia is introduced. This is another pretend safeguard that would be totally ineffective in practice. The motivation behind its inclusion is obviously to assuage public concern and make the ‘restrictive’ introduction of euthanasia more acceptable to people.Â
But the truth is - and Ireland would be no different - once the green light is given that it’s okay to end the life of a citizen through euthanasia, there’s no going back. Very quickly any ‘safeguards’ restricting access to euthanasia will be cast aside and the most vulnerable members of society - older people and those with a terminal illness - will increasingly be made to feel like a burden on family and friends, and many will opt to have their lives ended as a result.
The recommendations that will most likely be proposed by the ‘Assisted Dying Committee’ next week are cold and heartless - all the more so because committee members were presented with so much harrowing international evidence about what happens when euthanasia is introduced. It’s going to be a hard fought battle to oppose the introduction of euthanasia but, despite this, it is definitely remains one we can win.
The push to legalise euthanasia in Ireland is quickly gathering pace.Â
Don’t miss this vitally important webinar featuring Senator Rónán Mullen and Stephen Browne for all the up to date news on developments and to find out about the next steps in the campaign to stop euthanasia/assisted suicide from being legalised in Ireland.
The webinar will take place on Zoom next Tuesday, 19th March at 7.30pm. The following day the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Assisted Dying is due to launch its report and set of recommendations. Â
Read EilÃs Mulroy’s article in this week’s Irish Catholic on the need for urgent reform of the taxpayer funded NGO sector, particularly the National Women’s Council which falsely purports to represent all women.
The Local and European elections are scheduled to take place in early June. A General Election will also likely happen before the end of 2024.
Before polling day for each election, the Pro Life Campaign will provide a comprehensive Voter Guide with a list of candidates and parties and where they stand on abortion and other right to life issues.
We've already started work on compiling the list, which involves a huge time commitment. It's vital work though in order to guarantee that the information presented to voters is both thorough and reliable.Â
But for today, we'd be most grateful if you'd set aside some time to send us ANY information you have regarding the stances of candidates in your local area on the right to life issue. Don’t assume we have it already! The more information we have the more comprehensive our Voter Guide will be. We take special care in gathering as much verifiable data as possible to accurately reflect where candidates stand and to ensure we have the most up to date information to share with voters.Â
Explore the world of human rights with our internship programme! This is your chance to network, learn advocacy skills, and gain experience in campaign management and project planning.
This one-week internship is available starting every Monday from 15th January. It is suitable for TY and older, third-level students, and anyone interested in gaining experience in non-profit work!Â
It’s a really important time to approach your local TDs and Senators and urge them to reintroduce some humanity into the debate on abortion. The Three-Year Review, a seriously flawed process which produced a one-sided and extreme report, will be considered by politicians in the autumn. It’s important that we take action now.
We have produced a quick and easy Virtual Postcard for you to sign, which will automatically send an email to your local TDs. Use the button below to navigate into your county on our website and find your constituency.
It’s also important to have meetings with your TDs. These can be as simple as dropping into your local TD’s advice clinic to outline your concerns. Click below to register to lobby your local TDs. Don’t worry – we’ll help you every step of the way with advice on making the appointment to points you might consider raising.
We are heartened by the number of people actively involved and interested in meeting their politicians to express their views. The People Before Profit Bill which regrettably passed at 2nd stage of the Dáil on 31st May must also be countered. Even the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has said this Bill goes far beyond the recommendations of the Three-Year Review – which are already extreme in their own right.
It is crucial to engage with our politicians and remind them not to overlook the referendum promises. We need to fight to ensure our abortion policy is aimed at reducing the abortion rate.
Please take a moment to get involved in the Humanity Campaign. Remember even the smallest effort will make a big difference.
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 if they possess such material (no matter how old or dusty!) to ensure it is preserved now and not lost to the ages.Â
Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. 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]