The Mother and Child Campaign, which incorporates members of Youth Defence, will be campaigning for changes to the proposed abortion Bill.
If amendments are not accepted, it will be urging people to vote against the proposal, according to its PRO, Mr Justin Barrett. At a press conference yesterday, Mr Barrett said the failure of the Bill to protect "the unborn child before implantation . . . is made deliberately and with a purpose.
"The European Parliament last Wednesday [voted] to fund gene research within the Union with the enormous sum of €17.5 billion; €300 million of that money is specifically earmarked for research on what is euphemistically termed 'surplus embryos', that is, human beings in the most early stages of life." The proposed Bill was "designed to pave the way for legislation in Ireland for embryo research and a cashing-in on the funds available for such research".
Asked if they would be co-operating with others, Mr Barrett said: "We have not spoken about a joint campaign as such. We will keep open the lines of communication."