Anti-abortion group urges voters to demand another referendum

The Pro-Life Campaign has urged voters to use next month's local and European elections as a means of putting pressure on the Government to hold a referendum on abortion before the end of the year.

At a press conference yesterday, the group called on the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, "personally, to give a clear commitment" to holding a referendum this year. If such a commitment was not forthcoming, voters should "use or withhold their votes accordingly".

People were also urged "to approach their respective candidates for clarification on the position of their party leaders regarding a referendum".

The group would not, however, endorse any particular candidates or political parties.

Ms Caroline Simons, a legal consultant to the Pro-Life Campaign, said the abortion issue needed to be resolved as soon as possible as "it is now over seven years since the Supreme Court decision in the X case which overturned the protection for mothers and their unborn babies that the people had voted for in 1983.

"The people were never given the democratic opportunity to accept or reject the Supreme Court's surprising interpretation."

She accused the Government of "delaying unduly" the publication of the Green Paper on abortion, which was to have been completed in June 1998.

The delay was "attributable to procrastination on the part of the Government, rather than any difficulty in finding a suitable wording to put to the people," she said.

Some 10,000 submissions have been received by the all-party committee which is drafting the Green Paper. The document will be referred to a constitutional review committee before any initiative is taken.

A Department of Health spokesman said yesterday the process had taken longer than expected due to the large number of submissions. A revised target date for the publication of the Green Paper has not been set.

Prof William Binchy, another legal adviser to the Pro-Life Campaign, said the group wished to see a Government strategy aimed at tackling the problem of crisis pregnancy as well as a referendum.

He said voters had every right to question the four women MEPs over their support for a European women's health report which recommended the legalisation of abortion. However, he stressed the Pro-Life Campaign did not wish to target any particular individuals.

The group said the abortion rate had risen slightly since the passing of the constitutional amendments on travel and information. Each year an estimated 5,000 Irish women travel to Britain for abortions.

Prof William Binchy, legal consultant to the Pro-Life campaign: wants a Government strategy aimed at tackling "crisis" pregnancy