News, Event Registration and Much More!

25th March 2022
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In this issue:

READ: (#1) Sinn Féin enthusiastically backed draconian new law passed in Stormont criminalising peaceful pro-life outreach (#1)

READ: (#4) Senator Mullen calls on Minister Donnelly to clarify that submissions to Three-Year-Review will not be thrown out for freely expressing views on abortion law (#2)

READ: (#2) Uyghur husband sentenced to prison for protecting wife from forced abortion dies in jail (#3)

ACTION ALERT: Community Connect National Drive & Drop Donation Day TOMORROW (#Community Connect)

REGISTER NOW: PLC Information Event - Making a Submission to the Three Year Review of the Abortion Law (#FLP)

JOIN US: PLC Steps for Life on the 3rd of April in Donegal (#Steps For Life)

SAVE THE DATES: Regional March For Life Events (#mfl)

APPLY NOW: Virtual Internship with the PLC (#VS)
Sinn Féin enthusiastically backed draconian new law passed in Stormont criminalising peaceful pro-life outreach ()
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A draconian new law making it illegal to offer assistance to women outside of abortion clinics was passed in the Northern Assembly yesterday evening by 55 votes to 29.

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) law which singles out pro-life supporters and criminalises them for engaging in peaceful outreach was enthusiastically backed by Sinn Féin and the SDLP. The DUP and TUV voted against the new law. The main sponsor of the legislation, Green Party MLA, Clare Bailey, previously volunteered for pro-abortion group Marie Stopes.

MLAs voted in favour of the bill despite the Assembly receiving 6,412 submissions from members of the public opposing it, and a mere 14 submissions in favour.

Before the law passed, Alina Dulgheriu from the group Be Here For Me appealed to MLAs in Stormont to pull back from endorsing the extreme measure.

Recalling how she herself almost went though with an abortion but for a chance encounter with a pro-life person outside the clinic, Alina said: “I saw on the abortion provider’s [Marie Stopes] website that the clinic offered pre-abortion counselling. I called and asked for some help. ‘We only offer abortion’, came the glib reply. The day that I turned up to my abortion appointment, a volunteer outside the clinic gave me a leaflet. It offered the help that I had been searching for. I couldn’t be prouder of the life my daughter and I have charted out together. The reality is that so many women like me have had to make an abortion appointment not through choice, but by pressure. A BBC poll last week showed that more than one in ten women have felt “coerced” into having an abortion. This could be at the hands of an unsupportive partner like mine; or parents, or friends telling women that there’s no way that they could ever handle motherhood”.

Ms Dulgheriu said the bill before Stormont was designed to prevent women like her from hearing about offers of support to continue their pregnancies. She told MLAs that its passage would “shut down options open to women who find themselves in crisis. Such legislation would have been detrimental to the course of my life”.

Sadly, as of last night, the bill has passed into law. It is a truly regressive step and a huge setback for civil liberties, freedom of expression and the right of citizens of Northern Ireland to peacefully assemble in public.

It is a frightening example of what can happen when journalists and politicians work in lockstep to target an innocent group of people, demonise them and them bring in a law to suppress their right to reach out to fellow citizens to offer help or even express a point of view that runs counter in any way to the fixed narrative decreed by those in power. Sinn Féin and the SDLP preach in the language of ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’ but their actions tell a very different story. What they voted for last night is more in keeping with totalitarianism than basic democratic values.
Senator Mullen calls on Minister Donnelly to clarify that submissions to Three-Year-Review will not be thrown out for freely expressing views on abortion law ()
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In the Seanad yesterday, Senator Rónán Mullen criticised the rigid and narrow focus that the Government set out for the Three-Year Review of the abortion law.

Senator Mullen said he had been contacted by several constituents in recent days who expressed concerns about the limited scope offered in the Department of Health submission questionnaire for members of the public to freely make their views known with regard to the abortion law and its operation. Senator Mullen called on the Minister for Health to clarify that submissions to the Three-Year-Review will be accepted in free form and to make clear that members of the public are also free to make whatever points they wish about the law without falling foul of the process.

Watch Senator Mullen’s contribution in the Seanad here ([link removed])

Closing date for sending submissions to the Three Year Review is Friday 1st April 2022. If you’d like advice and guidance on how to make your submission, join us next Monday March 28th at 8pm for our half hour online event. You can register here ([link removed]) to attend. See you then!
Uyghur husband sentenced to prison for protecting wife from forced abortion dies in jail (http://)
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Uyghur family being detained by Chinese authorities ()

A Uyghur farmer jailed for helping his pregnant wife excape their hometown in Xinjiang to prevent authorities from forcing her to have an abortion has died in custody, while serving an eight-year prison sentence. His death was confirmed by local officials in recent days.

Abdureshid Obul from Lenger village in Keriye (in Chinese Yutian) county, was detained and interrogated for a week when he and his wife returned home a year after the birth of their child. He was subsequently released after he underwent “political re-education” and paid a 20,000 yuan (U.S. $3,150) for violating the government’s family planning policy, but in 2017, as Chinese officials intensified the crackdown on Uyghurs, detaining hundreds of thousands of members of the mostly Muslim community, Abdureshid was rearrested and given a much harsher sentence.

Since 2017, reports from international human rights bodies suggest that upwards of 1.8 million Uyghurs are being kept in concentration camps by the Chinese government. Western governments have also declared as ‘genocide’ what is happening to the Uyghur.

It remains alarming how quiet and ineffectual our Government is when it comes to challenging the Chinese government over their appalling treatment of the innocent and defenceless Uyghur people.
Community Connect National Drive & Drop Donation Day TOMORROW! (#1)
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Community Connect National Drive & Drop Donation Day takes place TOMORROW.

They will be collecting in lots of locations across the country!

They ask that you please consider adding a few extra items to your shopping trolley and support pregnant mothers and new parents struggling to provide essentials for their babies.

For more information and locations of where the Drive & Drop event will take place, please visit their website here ([link removed])
Register Now for the PLC Information Event - Making a Submission to the Three Year Review of the Abortion Law (#1)
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Register Now for PLC Information Event

Taking place on the 28th of March from 8PM to 8.30PM.

It is almost four years since the 8th amendment and protection for the unborn was removed from our constitution.

This year, the law is being reviewed and it is really important that pro life voices are represented. The closing date for submissions to the public consultation process is April 1st.

Please join our brief information event on Monday March 28th at 8pm for advice and guidance on how to make your submission.

If you are planning on making a submission, we would encourage you to attend.

Register Here ([link removed])
Join us on the 3rd of April for PLC Steps for Life (#1)
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Where: Bundoran, Donegal (Meet at The Great Northern Hotel Car Park)

When: Sunday 3rd April @ 1pm

Join us for a fun family day out on Sunday 3rd April in Bundoran where we will walk along the Bundoran Sea Front (approx 5km) and afterwards have tea and refreshments.

Goodie Bags will be provided for children. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with fellow pro-life supporters in person after so long apart!

Please register below so we can have an idea of numbers for arranging refreshments and goodie bags on the day.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

For more information, register here ([link removed])
Save the Date for the Regional March For Life Events (#1)
We are delighted to announce that we’re organising a series of large regional events in May to shine a spotlight on Ireland’s abortion law and to demand that resouces are put in place to support and inform women about positive alternatives to abortion.

All three events (listed above) will have outstanding speakers, be family friendly and build momentum for change. A regional event will also take place in Dublin in September.

It wasn’t possible as we know to hold large public events over the past two years - the very time during which the new abortion law was taking hold. We must make up for this lost time.

It’s time to raise our voices loudly and clearly. The silence surrounding the devastating impact of Ireland’s abortion law has to end.

Please help ensure the Regional Marches in May are a huge success! Make every effort to be present and encourage family and friends to do likewise.

Save the dates for 20th, 21st and 22nd May. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these regional gatherings, where we will stand united to deliver change.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming days and weeks!
APPLY NOW - Virtual Internship with the PLC (#1)

Would you like to experience working with a pro-active Human Rights organisation?

If you would like, APPLY HERE ([link removed]) to our exciting virtual intern programme for students!
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Participants on the programme will have an opportunity to network with other young people and develop skills in advocacy, campaign management and project planning.

Internships run for one-week periods and are suitable for second level (Transition year or older) and third level students.

Each intern will do 4 hours supervised work each day and will be working on areas such as social media, contact with members of the movement nationwide, project planning and contributing to support work for women and their babies.

Internships are not paid, however expenses will be covered.

If you or a family member is interested, please complete the below form and we will be in touch with you presently. Placements are subject to availability.

Thank you!

Apply Now by filling in the application form ([link removed])
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mailto:[email protected]
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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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