"MORE DAMNED LIES AND WARPED STATISTICS ON NOLAN LIVE"
Precious Life, the leading pro-life group in Northern Ireland, is greatly concerned that the Irish media are once again misrepresenting the views of the people of Ireland regarding the issue of abortion.
“Once again, the media are working hand in hand with the abortion movement and have drum-fired more lies and deception into the minds of unsuspecting and already prejudiced viewers,” declared Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life.
In October 2014, the BBC, The Irish News and The Irish Times propagated the ‘results’ of an ‘Attitudes to Abortion’ survey commissioned by Amnesty International; that “7 out of 10 people back changes to abortion law in Northern Ireland”. However, the embarrassing truth is that only 1000 people took part in the survey.
One year later, the same has happened again. The BBC and RTE have commissioned a cross border survey asking a measly 1000 participants in Northern Ireland and 1000 participants in the Republic of Ireland their views on abortion, same sex marriage, and a united Ireland. Last night, on Wednesday 4th November, Stephen Nolan’s Nolan Live collaborated with Miriam O’Callaghan’s Ireland’s Call – A Prime Time Special for a “cross border special”.
As expected, the ‘results’ of the survey regarding the question of abortion suffered the same deceitful manipulation.
Responding to Nolan’s misleading coverage of the survey, Bernadette Smyth commented:
“The media notoriously want to disregard the united and unyielding conviction of an overwhelming number of people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that abortion will never be in our name; that every human being, born or unborn, has an unconditional right to life.
“Firstly, let’s remember the largest pro-life rally in Dublin in 2013 when 60,000 people turned up from across all of Ireland to be a witness for the unborn child.
“Also in 2013, 250,000 petitions on behalf of the ongoing ‘Stop Marie Stopes Campaign’ were presented to the Northern Ireland Assembly calling for the closure of the Marie Stopes centre in Belfast. In September 2014, 35,000 petitions were presented in opposition to commercial provision of abortion in Northern Ireland. In January 2015, 25,000 petitions were presented in opposition to Justice Minister David Ford’s proposals to change the law on abortion in Northern Ireland.
“The media must stop playing into the hands of the abortion movement and give the truth the exposure it deserves.”