Pro life groups slam conference line-up

Written by Colin Bartley

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

A row has broken out over a conference in NUI Galway on the divisive issue of abortion. Pro-life campaigners say the conference is one sided, with pro-life supporters excluded from addressing the conference. However, organisers say the conference is not designed to be a debate on abortion.

The conference, being held on Thursday 5 November is titled 'Conference to Investigate Human Rights Perspectives on Abortion' and is being hosted by NUI Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights and the Irish Family Planning Centre.

The aim of the conference is to offer both Irish and global perspectives into the issues surrounding abortion, which has dominated legal and human rights discourse in Ireland for the last 25 years.

However groups such as Life Society, the student pro-life group of NUI Galway and The Silent No More Awareness Campaign are furious by what they say is a collaboration by the Irish Centre for Human Rights with pro-abortion groups, as they describe them.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights has gathered informed speakers from UN organisations, international universities and Irish educational establishments as well as leading experts from here and abroad.

However this line-up for the day-long conference has not so much impressed, as infuriated one section of students in the Corribside college.

Spokesperson for Life Society Maria Mahoney said, "It is very disturbing that the Irish Centre for Human Rights would co-host a conference on abortion while neglecting to deal with the most glaring issue of abortion – the taking of human life, the most obvious denial of human rights in any civilised society.

"In addition, whilst the conference purports to deal with perspectives on abortion, it omits any contribution from the many women whose lives have been devastated by abortion. Should the human rights of these women be ignored?" she asked.

Meanwhile, Silent No More spokesperson, Mrs Lynn Coles said, "It is shocking that a university would host a conference on abortion and omit any contribution on the detrimental effects of abortion on women."

But a spokesperson for the Irish Centre for Human Rights said the objectors are missing the point of the conference.

"We are an academic institution and this is a purely academic and legal conference. We are not aiming to offer advocacy or answers to any of the bigger questions on the abortion debate," they said.

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