A leading campaign group has said that a law which criminalises “even silent prayer” near abortion centres was passed through the Oireachtas using “untruths, fake news, and gross distortions to justify trampling on basic civil liberties.”
The Health (Termination of Pregnancy) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023 passed through the Oireachtas yesterday and will now be referred to the office of the President to be signed into law.
The legislation seeks to impose a 100-metre exclusion zones around all hospitals, GP practices, and family planning clinics offering abortion, and includes fines of up to €2,500 or six months in prison. Critics have pointed out that those engaged in silent prayer or holding a small sign offering help to pregnant women face being arrested and charged under the law.
Life Institute, who have previously slammed the government for “punching down on peaceful protesters”, under the legislation, today said that the law was “an act of spite and malice” which was “introduced without necessity and on false foundations”.
Spokeswoman Sandra Parda said that the claim that women were being intimidated while entering abortion services was “untrue” and “unsupported by the facts”. She said that Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, had “written to the Minister for Justice to point out this fact”.
In 2019, Commissioner Harris wrote to then Minister for Justice, Simon Harris saying that he wanted to re-confirm his views expressed at a recent meeting with the Minister “that protests to date at such centres have not contravened the law and are peaceful.”
“To date no incident of criminality has been reported or observed as a result of a protest placed at or near the vicinity of a service centre,” he said.
“There is no evidence to suggest that there is threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour directed towards persons utilising such services. Consequently, the introduction of any further legislation to ensure ‘safe access’ to termination pregnancy services, would be redundant at this time,” he wrote.
“Nothing changed after the Commissioner wrote that letter, ” Ms Parda said. “But we saw abortion supporters use untruths, fake news and gross distortions to justify trampling on basic civil liberties, and seeking to lock up people of compassion for even silent prayer.”
She said that “wild stories” which were “proven to be untrue” were used to “push through a law which has been introduced simply to punch down on pro-life people who want to offer women another option than abortion.”
“We even had TDs and Senators making false claims in the Dáil about women being targeted at Limerick Hospital which were shown to be untrue,” she said. “And the biggest newspaper in the country had to delete part of its story when it was shown that a woman who was peacefully praying was misrepresented.”
“Most of the media have acted as tawdry cheerleaders for this law: accepting wild allegations as fact; failing to challenge or investigate clams; and promoting a trampling down of civil liberties as a protective measure,” she said.
“This law isn’t about preventing intimidation, because that’s not happening,” the Life Institute spokeswoman said. “It’s about targeting and silencing anyone who seeks to help women who may feel that abortion is the only choice they have, wen that’s often not the case. It’s a desire to punish and penalise and lock up people for prayer and witness that is usually silent and peaceful, and its shameful to see this being approved by legislators.”
She said that many Irish people were alarmed at the spirally abortion rates – with an estimated 10,000 abortions in 2023 alone – and that peaceful outreaches which could offer women a better alternative should be supported, not criminalised.
Minister Stephen Donnelly said he was now looking forward to enacting the legislation “as soon as possible”.
“The fundamental premise of this Bill is about respect. It is about dignity. It is about ensuring that people can access healthcare services and feel safe and not be intimidated,” Donnelly said.
“I have listened to women, to families, to health care professionals who unequivocally expressed their support for this Bill,” he added.
But Ms Parda said that the Minister was just listening those “in his pro-abortion bubble” who “affirmed his own views”.
“The healthcare system is in crisis while Minister Donnelly focuses on this absolutely unnecessary and vindictive law,” she said. “The March 8th referendums showed just how out of touch this government is. This bill is another example of them being led by the nose by NGOs who are completely out of touch with the people.”
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Is Donnelly seriously retarded, or just plain stupid??
Abortion is NOT “healthcare”. Can even he not see that every abortion results in at least one death??
Abortion is murder full stop, that poor pregnant lady killed in the stardust fire her unborn was included as unlawful killing.
only Irish family on a street of 15 houses in big rural town in Ireland ,how does this all add up.
We all know what it is. It’s the slow eradication of our freedoms and protection of the sabatian frankists depopulation agenda. Unfortunately the kakistocracy think we are idiots.
The State sanctions the murder of 10000 children a year yet criminalises those who stand in silent prayer against the heinous ungodly act
Another step on the road towards totalitarianism.
As we look around our Dail with its approximate 150 TDs in attendance and see the vast majority of them, without a word, signifying their agreement/acceptance of some point of law, like this one, I suggest that we introduce a new word into vogue i.e. SILENT GROUP ACQUIESCENCE (SGA) implying that “whatever I feel about the issue at hand, morally or otherwise, it would be better to keep my mouth shut!. Those who voted for me don’t matter”!
The King Herod syndrome has taken its evil grip on our country. The grotesque monsters who profit from the murder of the innocents cannot even tolerate silent prayer for these mothers and babies. The Dail and Senate, the NGO’s who beat the drums for them and of course the profiteers in the so called health system making money out of the grissly murderous campaign on which they have embarked since the introduction of abortion want nobody or nothing to get in the way of their newly founded death camps. In biblical terms it can only be described as mass possession.
It is so horrible to think of the suffering of the unborn.
my aunt had to leave ireland in the sixties because she had a child outside marriage , it was a big shame on the family back then supported by church and fg/ff goverments that were male only back then , now women have to terminate there pregancey for many reasons that some are life treathing to the mother , these decisions are very tuff for the women involed and most cases not supported by father of future child or family. this is a private matter just for women involed and should be left alone , should be no public debates or news aritcales about this , it could be your sister , girlfriend ,wife or best friend, should be more social welfare help and support on making the right decision.
With great respect and acknowledging your point about “ tough decisions” being all part of the life changing decision to “terminate” an innocent life: can anyone seriously claim that we now have 10,000 “tough decisions” with 10,000 little lives ended.Evidence complied by the abortion campaigners themselves would demonstrate the utterly trivial reasons that many abortions now take place for. EG. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/the-first-one-was-a-difficult-one-irish-gps-speak-about-their-experiences-providing-abortion-services/a1631616850.html
This article from last Sunday’s Independent regarding a survey of abortion providing GPS contains the chilling report of one abortion supporting GP being shocked when a pregnant woman volunteered her reason for requesting the deadly “medicine”.She told the GP “ I want to save for a new kitchen so can’t afford a baby at this time” . It is a tough decision ok New kitchen Vs an innocent utterly unique tiny human being!
over population is driving mass immigration, so you want your cake and all the cherrys with it ,the double decker Ireland we will need after a while. with your ideology
There’s already social welfare support and help for women who are pregnant out side of marriage. I know many women who travelled to the UK in the eighties to terminate a pregnant and they live with the guilt every day, surely 9 Months is a short period of time to carry a baby they can then give up for adoption to a caring family.
Jesus said don’t be like the hypocrites who like to stand on street corners and pray so others can see them or like those people who pray long prayers over and over(like the rosary) thinking they will be heard by our Father in Heaven. But he said rather go in to your bedroom and pray in Secret away from prying eyes and the Father who sees you praying in secret will reward you. People need to realise that God Only listens to the prayers of true Christians only and the only prayer He will listen to from a non believer is their prayer of repentance towards God and belief and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Then you become a son of God/saint through being Born again. The word saint has been hijacked by the RC church to give the impression that only the pope can canonise and make saints,sadly all those they have made saints over the years are in hell because they followed a cult. When you are Born again and have the true word of God,the King James Bible 1611 ,your eyes will be opened to the truth and what’s really going on around you. Off course the Jesuits tried their best to get rid of the KJB 1611,as part of the counter reformation which goes on to this day and is main cause of what’s happening around the world. They even tryied to blow up parliament at the time to stop the translation with their Jesuit stooge guy fawkes,remember him,we learned in Catholic school that he was a hero😁😁😁he’s in hell now discovered to his detriment that he was a fake Christian.Jesus has nothing to do with a church that uses murder and deceit to further their cause,remember the supposed crusades set up and run by the Jesuits to rape,kill,pillage men, women and children who wouldn’t become Catholics. That was the end game .the victor writes history to suit them. I always say there are 3 sides to every story,yours,mine and the truth. People need to start waking up to what’s really going on around them…
Saint Paul said in the book of Corinthians chapter one that there should be no denominations as he stated is Christ Divided? And went on to state he is not. All denominations are evil or as I call them demon-ations catholic,protestant,Methodist,Lutheran, Calvinist, evangelical, baptist,Mormon,sda,orthodox etc all claiming to follow God but according to their rules,no wonder the church is in the state it is?? The apostles didn’t have exquisite buildings, they met in each other houses and they were first called Christians in Antioch.,(not Alexandria where all the catholic false teaching came from).The were believers who met together to worship and pray and preach the Gospel,of course we had and always will have people thinking they are above everyone else and look for the limelight and separation from other Christians. I was listening to a 30 stone Baptist minister giving out about those sinners who drink and gamble,but gluttony is also a sin😁🤔 All sin is evil before God but you can’t deal with your sinful lifestyle in your flesh ,you have to be Born Again and God helps you deal with it.
When you try and deal with your sin,or use your works to try and get to heaven like the RC church as the Bible say “it is by Grace(unmerited favour of God)you have been saved,not of works,lest anyone should boast” and my my religious people love to boast some of their boastings….,I was baptised,I give to charity,I go to church,I receive holy communion,I fast once a week,I don’t eat meat,I stay celibate,I pray the rosary ,I go to the Vatican once a year at least like the moselms to Mecca,I believe every word from the mouth of the pope,I worship idols,- rosary beads,statues of mary an saints, I go to those holy churches to venerate padrio pio,and the pieces of the cross that Jesus died on 😂😂 😁and even one church that claims to have some of Mary breast milk😂😂😂and don’t mention the Turin shroud 🤔🤔😁😁😂.God laughs from heaven and holds these brainwashed fools in derision. God has told us how to get to heaven in the famous Bible verse John 3:16 For God so LOVED the WORLD ,that He gave His Only Begotten Son…..THAT (this is Conditional,not all are automatically Saved)whosoever BELIEVES in HIM,the Lord Jesus Christ) shall not perish(in hell)but will have eternal life in Heaven. Now the bible says that the devil’s believe in Jesus and tremble because they know what’s ahead of them. That’s just a simple belief,but the Belief God wants is to give yourself totally to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him alone for salvation and believe His death on the Cross was the final sacrifice for mankind.love the Lord your God with all your Heart ,soul and mind..He is to be No 1 in your life,your family ,job ,health etc in at 2nd place. There is even a bible verse that states that if you love your wife or family more than you live Christ,you are not fit for the kingdom…sadly the lovey dovey gospel that God accepts all and everything is sending many to hell. My advice to you is get a King James Bible and start reading it with a prayerful heart and the Lord will open it up to you,however do it soon because many are trying to get rid of it and give us their counterfeits,and don’t buy trumps 😂,or the new AI bible for the UN one world religion.you can also access the King James online …take care
So everyone should follow the gospel according to Johanne – founded in the 1960s – everyone prior to this got it wrong – how thankful we are that Johanne is there to correct us and guide us on the true path – Johanne alone has the truth – how could followers of Christ got it so wrong for 2000 years – but thankfully Johanne can put everyone right.
Johanne stands for John…the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are saved it is the gift of God …1960🤔🤔🤔what’s that to do with anything? I preach the same Gospel that Jesus preached,and all the apostles I stick to the Word of God and if it ain’t in the word I don’t believe it,but it also tell us in the word to expose evil at all times and try and witness to as many that will hear the message as I can. Im only a messenger, i preach the one and only Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as per 1 Corinthians 15 go check it out,I don’t point to me I’m a useless filthy sinner like the rest of you,the difference is I’m a SAVED sinner through believing and being born again over 30 years ago with a road to Damascus conversion and I haven’t looked back since I am compelled as Paul says in the word to preach the Gospel in season or out of season,whether people like it or not. Jesus said you’ll be hated because of me,but take heart I have overcome the world. True Born again Christians are to be ready to be martyred for the Gospel like all their brothers and sisters before them. An yes Jesus says some will be martyrs before his return,and as we speak Christians are getting martyrd around the world even in Palestine and we have Zionist Christians siding with the synagogue of satan through all this thinking they are still the chosen people. The lost that status after crucifying Jesus and as Jesus warned them 30 years later Jerusalem was burned to the ground and millions of Jews killed by the romans.(no Christians died when the Romans attacked Jerusalem as they had been warned by Jesus to get out immediately when the saw the Romans coming in the distance).The chosen people today are born again Christians and they are the new Jews that’s why we are hated by the synagogue. There is a remnant of the 12 tribes of Israel spread all over the world that will be saved by grace as well but we don’t know who they are only God knows,that’s why we have foolish Christians siding with Zionists thinking they are helping God do his thing. We are to preach the Gospel to save people right up until the return of Christ ,try and preach the Gospel in Israel today and you’ll take your life in your hands…they hate the Lord Jesus Christ with a passion and are going to sacrifice the red heifer to usher in their Christ…which the Bible calls antichrist…as the Bible says when true Born again Christians see this we are to look up because our salvation draweth near.
By your logic the Apostles are all in hell, because what do you think those first Christians celebrated when they met in each others houses? – they celebrated the Eucharist – the Mass. If you truly want to understand the Scriptures, then it’s not the KJB you need to turn to, it’s the original Greek and Hebrew – study St John’s Gospel in the original Greek – and read the Letter to the Hebrews – and also St Paul’s Letters, especially First Corinthians (you quote this Letter in your comments, but you show no understanding of what St Paul is teaching) – and you need to study the Didache and the Dead Sea Scrolls – and the writings of the early Church Fathers like St Justin Martyr; if you are truly searching for a deeper understanding of your faith, then study these documents, before you go insulting Christians who have followed this teaching for 2000 years – at least be informed in what the Catholic Church and the various Protestant denominations believe before you insult them online, because from reading through your comments you really don’t understand what these faiths believe and teach.
…the bible was written in Hebrew for the Jews the old testament,the New testament in Greek because that was the main language spoken by the multitude and in these times we have the bible written in English the final language . Christians living today don’t need to go back to any original documents as God preserved His word right trough wit his chosen few…he used fallible saints to carry his word through the ages even during the dark ages of the antichrist pope’s who hung ,drew and quartered men women and children because they wouldn’t submit to the papists doctrine. Martin Luther had the guts to step out and nail his thesis to the door calling out the falseness of the papacy and he even called them antichrists. But the word of God didn’t depend on Martin Luther reformation as the waldensenes and Anabaptist had the manuscripts going right back to the apostles,so they didn’t need other documents popping up like the dead sea Scrolls,they were dead for a reason😂or the supposedly oldest documents called siniticanus or Vaticanus as the name suggests they came from the antichrist popish religion.now the other fallacy of mass and Eucharist total fabrication again and twisting of scripture,your mass and Eucharist crucify Jesus over and over an abomination in God Eyes . When the believers met together they broke bread and wine in REMEMBERANCE of Jesus death on the cross,not ongoing sacrifice. You need to dump your preconceived ideas and all those books written by fallible men and get into the Word Of God Only but firstly you must get born again otherwise the word of God will be double Dutch to you,it’s only believers illuminated by the Holy Spirit given to all believers at the moment of the new birth that truly understand the word,and HE is my teacher from then on. It’s a free gift sadly many are too proud to receive it.
actually you do need to go back to the original languages if you want an accurate translation of the Scriptures – all you’ve provided is insults with no actual knowledge or understanding of the Scriptures or of what the Catholic Church (or Protestant denominations) teach – and your comment about the Mass being a re-crucifixion of Jesus shows your complete lack of understanding of the Mass – it’s actually a ridiculous statement – maybe actually do some research before you comment or I tell you what, listen to any commentary by Dr Brant Pitre on the Mass and you might actually learn something. If you want to engage in a serious discussion/debate then at least have the facts right – you sound like a politician who thinks that by making a ridiculous claim people will accept it as true – so when you have actually done your homework then come back and engage – to claim the Holy Spirit is your teacher and then you reject what has been revealed through the Holy Spirit is a bit hypocritical – but sure keep firing the insults (the lowest form of debate) which is a sure sign of someone who can’t actually engage in a proper discussion because you haven’t got the knowledge to do so – the more insults you fire, the more it just shows that you’ve no actual rational arguments to present – and it’s a sign that the Holy Spirit is certainly not working in you, otherwise you would be able to present more than insults for your defence.
Absolutely, couldn’t agree more – insults are the lowest form of debate, and just shows someone who has no rational explanation or arguments to present – now should I follow the teachings of 2000 years of Catholic tradition, or the irrational beliefs of Joanne, who can’t actually present a case other than insulting other religions – I think I’ll stick with 2000 years of Catholic tradition passed on from the first Apostles 🙂