PLC’s General Election Voter Guide underway.  Do you have information on candidates’ stances in your constituency?

The PLC team is currently working on the Voter Information Guide for the upcoming General Election.  When published, it will be a valuable resource for voters, offering insights into where candidates and parties stand on right-to-life issues.

To ensure the guide is as comprehensive and reliable as possible, we are looking for your assistance in gathering additional information on candidates' positions. With over 400 candidates running in the upcoming election (and likely more to be announced), it is a big undertaking compiling all the data.

We would be very grateful if you would take the time to send us any information you have on election candidates in your constituency regarding their stance on right-to-life issues. We’ve a lot of the work already done but don’t assume we have all the information we need on the candidates running in your area.  Use the button below to send on an email to our elections team.  Thank you!

Latest News

Actor Cillian Murphy should be challenged by media over outlandish abortion

claims

Irish actor Cillian Murphy has said that Ireland with "no abortion" was "like the f**king dark ages compared to now." He made his remarks in an interview printed in last Saturday's Irish Times.

Given how utterly predictable some sections of the media have become, the Oscar winner was never in any danger of receiving the slightest pushback or questioning from journalists for his throwaway comments. Instead, remarks like the ones he made are treated with the utmost reverence and respect, akin to the incurious and unquestioning period in our history that they rail against so hard. The absurdity of all this appears to be completely lost on them.

When Murphy links the time when no abortions happened in Ireland to the dark ages, presumably he regards the new abortion regime here as a model of enlightenment and compassion. One wonders what he thinks of the 2020 study from his hometown, conducted by UCC researchers (published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) which revealed that under the new abortion law unborn babies have survived late-term abortions and have been left to die alone unaided? Or does it concern him that a recent article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics states that there is now compelling evidence that unborn babies may have the capacity to feel pain as early as 12 weeks gestation, with a large body of evidence indicating for years that unborn babies can feel pain from 20 weeks or earlier.

If someone is prepared to tie no abortion in Ireland to the dark ages, they should be prepared to answer straightforward questions like the ones above. And if journalism in Ireland had any integrity or interest in truth telling, people like Cillian Murphy would be asked some pressing follow-on questions when they make outlandish claims.

Right to Life UK calls for end to ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme after pills used by man to poison woman’s unborn baby

Right To Life UK has called for an immediate end to the ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme after one of the UK’s largest abortion providers supplied pills through this scheme, which were then used by Stuart Worby to spike a woman’s drink and end the life of her unborn child at 15 weeks gestation. You can read the story in the British Independent newspaper here.

The organisation is also demanding a thorough investigation into The Gynae Centre, the abortion provider that supplied the pills used by Worby. The Gynae Centre is one of the UK’s largest private providers of abortion services and operates the at-home abortion scheme without requiring patients to undergo an in-person consultation with a healthcare provider. Previously, women seeking an abortion were required to attend a medical consultation and take mifepristone—the first medication in the process—under professional supervision in a clinic setting.   Without the at-home abortion option, Worby would not have been able to access these pills so easily, and the alleged incident might have been avoided.

This case has reignited concerns about the misuse of at-home abortion schemes, a worry shared by MPs before the program was made permanent. Legislators warned that the program could potentially allow third parties to administer abortion pills to women without their consent.

Earlier this year MPs tabled an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have seen an end to the at-home abortion scheme. The amendment (NC115) was signed by a cross-party group of 52 MPs.  Polling published in the Daily Telegraph shows that 71% of women supported the proposed law change and only 9% are in favour of the status quo. In contrast, only 16% of the public support current proposals to decriminalise abortion. In addition, over 800 medical professionals signed a letter to all 650 MPs outlining the risks of late-term at-home abortion and calling on MPs to make a law change to end the at-home abortion scheme.  

Similar ‘telemedicine’ abortion is available here in Ireland with equally troubling stories arising.  The case of a minor being locked in a room and forced to take abortion pills was covered in the Irish Examiner in October 2022 but ignored by the rest of the media.  We will continue in our efforts to stop dangerous telemedicine abortion in Ireland and urge our political representatives to be robust in seeking this change during the next Dáil.

Welsh Assembly firmly rejects motion supporting Assisted Suicide

In a significant defeat for the assisted suicide movement, the Welsh Assembly (Senedd) decisively voted (26 to 19) against a motion urging Westminster to legalise assisted suicide. This decision underscores the Senedd's clear stance against allowing MPs to impose assisted suicide on Wales when the British Parliament votes next month (29 November) on the Assisted Suicide Bill introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP.

Both the Welsh First Minister, Eluned Morgan, and the Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, opposed the motion. Members from all major parties—including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, and the Conservatives—expressed their opposition during the vote.

Numerous members voiced their concerns against the introduction of assisted suicide during the debate. Delyth Jewell, a Plaid Cymru member for South Wales East, expressed her fears, stating, "My terror regarding this motion lies not in how it starts, but in how it ends." She noted that while there are purported safeguards in Westminster's proposal, historical precedents from countries like Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium reveal that no safeguard is truly secure. "Laws are initially aimed at the terminally ill, but over time, those safeguards erode, leading to individuals with treatable conditions being eligible—lives that might improve instead being lost."

Indeed, the Canadian example highlights how an initially limited regime can rapidly expand.

Already in 2022, 9% of those who were euthanised in Canada had dementia. On 30 October, Quebec removed the requirement for informed consent immediately prior to the lethal injection which will drastically increase the premature deaths of those with dementia.

The Dáil recently voted in 23 October to “note” the Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying, which may be interpreted as adding momentum to the report’s pro-assisted dying proposals.

The Welsh vote was a major setback to the momentum of the pro-assisted dying movement in advance of the upcoming Westminster vote.

Seeking Accommodation

From time to time we need one night of accommodation in Dublin for our volunteer road team. Can you assist?