MISLEADING ARTICLE ON JUDGE HORNER’S ABORTION RULING IN ALIVE NEWSPAPER
We must alert you to a misleading article and commentary on Judge Horner’s recent ruling in the judicial review of the law on abortion in Northern Ireland in January’s edition of Alive, the all-Ireland Catholic monthly newspaper.
Please read our concerns and response to the misleading article and commentary below:
Dear Editor,
I was very disappointed to read in January’s edition of Alive a misleading article and commentary on Judge Horner’s recent ruling in the judicial review of the law on abortion in Northern Ireland.
The beginning of the article (page 9) reads:
“The High Court in Belfast has ruled that it is legally permissible to kill a profoundly sick unborn child or one conceived as a result of a sexual crime, if that is what the mother opts to do.”
The beginning of the commentary (page 9) reads:
“The recent ruling by Northern Ireland’s High Court allowing the brutal killing of profoundly sick unborn children and those conceived as a result of a sexual crime was a perversion of justice.”
This is not the case. Both statements would lead your readers to wrongly believe that abortion is now legal in the above cases in Northern Ireland. Please know that the law has not changed in Northern Ireland.
The article and commentary also claims that the judge “based his decision on the secularist principle of ‘personal autonomy’, more widely known as ‘right to choose’.”
Yes, Judge Horner’s ruling was diabolical. It was horrifyingly discriminatory in that he refused to recognise the right to life which is shared by all unborn children and instead, stripped them of their very humanity, and, as the author of the commentary wrote, “set mother against child, treating her unborn child as her enemy, an enemy to be destroyed”. But please ensure that your readers are given an accurate presentation of the facts. Otherwise, there is a danger that you could inadvertently be giving credit to the lies and aggressive ideology of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International.
Please note the following facts of the case:
On 30th November Judge Horner ruled that the illegality of abortion in the above cases violated a woman’s right to “private and family life” under Article 8(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Although he referred to a woman’s ‘personal autonomy’, please know that he acknowledged that there is no right to abortion in international human rights law. He did not rule in favour of a woman’s so-called ‘right to choose’ or ‘right to abortion’.
On 16th December Judge Horner reached his final conclusion in this case. He acknowledged that to interpret sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 to allow for abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the unborn child has been diagnosed with a life-limiting disability would be “a step too far”. Instead, he made a ‘declaration of incompatibility’, meaning that the matter of introducing new legislation is now for the Northern Ireland Assembly to decide.
While there is no obligation on the Northern Ireland Assembly to act on this ruling or to legalise abortion in the above cases, it is the responsibility of the people of Northern Ireland to put pressure on the politicians to ensure that they do not bow down to this evil judgment. That is why Precious Life has launched its FIGHT BACK campaign, to ensure that all unborn children continue to be protected in Northern Ireland.
Could you please make clear in February’s edition of Alive that Judge Horner’s ruling did not legalise abortion in the above cases and that the fight is on to make sure that the Northern Ireland Assembly continues to protect our unborn children?
Finally, it may be of benefit to check with the news articles on Precious Life’s website before Alive runs a news story on abortion law in Northern Ireland.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this email.
Kind regards,
Caitriona Forde
Precious Life
Office no.: 02890 278484