Galway Advertiser 1983/1983_09_01/GA_01091983_E1_011.pdf 

Extracted text

Galvoay Advertiser,

1st September, 1983

11

THE REFERENDUM
and vindicate that right.
Galway's leading Consoltant Obstretriciana/GynaecolosMts were invited by the GALWAY ADVERTISER t o give their views on the forthcoming referendum. Prof. Eamon O'Dwyer M.A.O., F.R.C.O.G., Dr. S. V. Long M.A.O., F.R.C.O.G., Dr. F. P. Meehan M.A.O., F.R.C.O.G. and M. J. Myiotte M.D., M.R.C.O.G. have all kindly contributed t o this section of oar special supplement, which, it is hoped, will be a help t o readers a s they consider the arguements Pro or Anti the Amendment.

The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend

Why You Should Vote No' On Wednesday
- Statement from three Galway Gynaecologists
On Wednesday next, September 7th, you, readers of this paper, are invited t o vote 'Yes' or 'No' in a constitutional referendum worded a s follows: "The State acknowledges the right t o life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right t o life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far a s is practicable, by its laws to defend and vinflicate that right." Before you cast your vote, we three practicing gynaecologists in Galway ask you t o consider the foDowing points, because w e feel that it may be dangerous to v o t e 'Yes.' The danger lies in the misunderstanding which may arise if the above-mentioned wording is passed and entered into the Constitution of Ireland. Different p e o p l e doctors or on the back i n c l u d i n g d o c t o r s , streets of our cities -- lawyers and politicians our main problem, if we take a different view as to have one, is that there what effect this change are many unplanned and will bring. We three unwanted pregnancies doctors, who are entirely being conceived in this against the legalising of country, and an estimatabortion in Ireland are ed 4,()CiO of these are worried that, if the being aborted annually in Amendment is passed, England. c e r t a i n a s p e c t s of If this Amendment is present medical practice passed, it will do nothing could be changed and, as to improve the situation, a result, endanger the and probably lead to a lives of women and their greater number of unborn babies. Further- unplanned pregnancies more, there is a real and abortions abroad. chance that certain Should we not, at this m e t h o d s of family stage, be addressing planning currently used ourselves to the family in Ireland will be made planning needs of our illegal if the Referendum women in this country, succeeds, making them and to providing the unavailable in the future social and moral support -- a situation which, in required by women who itself, would lead to more find themselves in the unplanned and unwanted unhappy position of pregnancies which, in being pregnant out of circumstances where the wedlock, or in the broken w o m a n ' s h e a l t h is home situation. deciskin by the Supreme Court could legalise abortion in Ireland tomorrow. While all things are possible it is certainly hi^ly improbable that any minority group or the Supreme Court of this country c o u l d s u c c e e d in legalising abortion in Ireland against the wishes of the vast majority of its citizens with t h e i r R o m a n Catholic ethos. Surely the pronouncements of the thousands of people who have already written or spoken their feelings on both sides oi the divkie, since this whole issue started is evidence enough that there is overwhelming feeling against abortion in Ireland today. Why should we feel threatened by the tiny percentage who wish for t h e legalisation when there is such an overwhelming support for keeping it ill^d, as it is, and has been since the 1861 taw was enacted, bi other countries where abortion is legal, such as in Britain and the U.S A people of these countries could have made it ifle^ if they so wished after the Courts and politicans had changed the law. In these countries abortrons were already taking place in great numbers before the law was changed, the change in law simply making lega' that which was already normal practice and acceptable. Abortions are rxjt being performed in Ireland today, and there is no such climate whereby a minority pressure group could have it legalised against the will of the peopte.

Why You Should Vote Yes In The Referendum
A YES vote will protect the baby in the womb. A YES vote will prevent legalised Abortion. A YES vote WL N T endanger the mother. IL O A YES vote is not sectarian. A YES vote is Pro4.iffe. Dont be confused -- vote YES. In Ireland, procuring an abortion is a criminal offence under Section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act (1861) and as long as this Act remains in force abortion will continue to be a criminal offence.
Prc^. Eamonn O'Dwyer, in twenty frue years 0/ experience, has had 'no patient where cancer of the cervix was diagnosed in early pregnancy.'

Unfortunately, the Who are citizens? Here 1861 Act could be the law is very specific. amended or indeed The Irish Nationality and struck down as follows: Citizenship Act (Number 1. By an act of the 26) 1956 states "every Oireachtas (the Dail person born in Ireland is an Irish citizen from and Seanad). birth." Clearly, citizen2. By a decision of the ship cannot be obtained Supreme Court that it until birth and hence the was repugnant to the unborn are specifically Constitution, in that it excluded from a constitinterfered with the utional protection of the privacy of the mother -- right to life. Addressing in this case the mother's the Fine Gael Ard Fheis right to have an last October, the then abortion. leader of the Opposition, 3 . by a challenge in the Dr. Garret Fitzgerald European Court of stated "all life, whether of Human Rights on the citizens or of people of grounds that it denied o t h e r n a t i o n a l i t y , the woman the right to whether bom or unborn, an abortion. should be protected by The Constitution of our Constitution." To Ireland g u a r a n t e e s give that protection to protection for the right to the unborn it is necessary life of the citizen but no to amend the Constitutwhere in the Constitution ion by adding the is there mention of the following words to unborn child. Article 40, Section 3 of Article 40, Section 3, lists the "The State acknowfollowing personal rights ledges the right to life of among the fundamental the unborn and with due rights of citizens -- The regard to the equal right State guarantees in its to life of the mother, laws to respect, and, as guarantees in its laws to far as practicable, by its respect and, as far as laws to defend and practicable, by its laws to vindicate the personal defend and vindicate that r i ^ t s of the citizen. The right. State shall in particular by its laws protect as best Amendment Is it may from unjust attact Pro-life and, in the case of injustice done, vindicate the Hfe, person, good The Amendment is Proname, and property Life, is concerned with ri^ts erf every citizen. the p r e v e n t i o n of abortion and has nothing

to do with contraception. to be unenforceable Doctors opposed to the because of a deficiency of Amendment in a "hand- science. It is not possible out" state, "It could lead to- prove or establish in to the banning of any given instance essential family planning whether either of these methods such as the two forms of contraceptI.U.D. and low dose pill." ives/abortifacients act as Clearly this is not so. The abortifacients or merely Irish Association of as contraceptives, and Lawyers for the Defence secondly it is impossible of the unborn state, "In- to p r o v e unlawful so-far as these forms of intention on the part of contraceptives act as the user, having regard of abortifacients, they are the fact these contraalready illegal in that they ceptives/abortifacients offend the criminal law can in useage be unlawful i.e. The Offences against or lawful. The situation the Person Act 1861 and will o b v i o u s l y be the Health (Family unaffected by the already poor, coukl lead Planning Act 1979). amendment. Section 10 of the Health It has been suggested to a worsening of health (Family Planning Act that Injuctions could be and even death, for 1979) reads as follows: obtained to restrain or example in women with 10. Nothing in this Act prevent the use of these diabetes, heart disease, should be construed as two types of contracept- thrombosis, high bkxxi authorising: ives/abortifacients. this pressure or cancer. (a) The procuring 0/ however is a situation , You are being asked to abortion. which is incapable of I vote on something the (b). The doing of any- happening. To obtain an ' full implications of which thing, the doing of Injuction in this situation no-one understands. We which is prohibited in it would be necessary for feel that this is not only Sections 58 or 59 of the the party seeking the unfair, but also dangerOffences AgairKt the Injuction, who would be ous. Why should we Person Act 1861 (wNch seeking the Injuction on enter something new into sections prohibit the the basis of an infringe- our Constitution, and adrrunistering of drugs ment to the right to life of then ask the Courts to or instruments to an unborn chiW, to first of sort out what it all aU establish that there means? What is wrong procure abortion) or, (c). The sale, in^port- was a life in existence, with our present law and ation into th6 State, and secondly, that that with the way medkal manufacture, advert- life was being interfered practice is conducted ising, or display of with. It is obvious that and has been conducted these two m a t t e r s , for the past hundred abortifacients. The criminal law insofar partkularly the former. years. The answer is that as it relates to these two are incapable of proof nothing is wrong -- labortrons are not bemg forms of contraceptives/ [carried out either by abortifacients has proved OONIMUED OVCHJUr

WHY SHOULD
~ Why must we have a Referendum at aD -- largely because the big political parties said 'Yes' to the idea which was cast upon them by the Pro-Life pressure group, at a time when our Government was unstable, and when to say 'No' might have been politicaJ suicide for either Fianna Fial or Fine Gael. The Pro-Life Amendment Campaign feel that it is necessary to place this wording in our Constitution so that a b o r t i o n can only become legalised by a vote of all its people. They are afraid that a pcditicd manocvre or a

WEFEEL THREATENED?

REUGIOUS ADVISORS
CANNOT HAVE MEDICAL OR LEGAL INSIGHT
By now you will h^^e heard most of the arguments on both sides. You have been toW that to vote "Yes' is to vote against abortion in Irebnd, which is not true.