UK News
Insights from the UK and beyond
from FaithWorld:
European human rights court faults Ireland on abortion ban
(Photo: European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, January 30, 2009/Vincent Kessler)
The European Court of Human Rights ruled against Ireland on Thursday for stopping a Lithuanian cancer sufferer from terminating a pregnancy, in a blow to the predominantly Catholic country and its tough abortion laws. In a final ruling, the rights court found Ireland had not respected the privacy and family rights of the Lithuanian woman, who was living in Ireland and feared a pregnancy could trigger a relapse of her cancer, in remission at the time.
The court, based in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, ordered Ireland to pay 15,000 euros ($19,840) in damages to the woman, who was forced to travel to Britain, where the laws are more liberal, to have an abortion. Terminating a pregnancy has long been a fraught issue in Ireland, where some of the toughest abortion laws in Europe allow terminations only when the mother's life is in danger.
"The Court concluded that neither the medical consultation nor litigation options, relied on by the Irish government, constituted effective and accessible procedures which allowed (her) to establish her right to a lawful abortion in Ireland," it said a statement on the ruling. Here is a court press release and the full text of the judgment.
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reland's Health Minister Mary Harney said the government would have to introduce a law clarifying when abortion is legal in Ireland. Currently, a woman can have a termination if she has cervical cancer, an ectopic pregnancy or high blood pressure. "Clearly we have to legislate there is no doubt about that," she told national broadcaster RTE. "I think the essence of the judgment is that we have constitutional provisons and we need to give legal effect to them."
from FaithWorld:
Factbox – Planned protests during pope’s visit to Britain
(Photo: Official papal visit memorabilia at Catholic bookshop in London September 15, 2010/Toby Melville)
Demonstrations are planned for Pope Benedict's four-day state visit to England and Scotland, with the main focus likely to be on a Protest the Pope campaign march in central London Saturday, Sept 18.
Other separate protests are planned, including a bus poster campaign by a group supporting women's ordination and a silent witness by the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland.
from FaithWorld:
Could Irish abortion case lead to a “European Roe v. Wade”?
European Court of Human Rights,30 Jan 2009/Vincent Kessler
Ireland has defended its strict law against abortion at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg in a case that could overturn that ban if the judges agree with three women who said it endangered their health and violated their rights. The women, two Irish and one Lithuanian living in Ireland, had travelled to Britain to have abortions because traditionally Catholic Ireland allows the procedure only when the mother's life is in danger. Read our full story on Wednesday's hearing here.
The three women, named only as A, B and C, argued they had to terminate their pregnancies due to medical and social problems, and that being forced to travel abroad for abortions meant submitting to inhumane treatment that violated their right to privacy. They also said the law constituted gender-based discrimination.
What rights should terrorism suspects enjoy?
The Law Lords have ruled against the government over the sensitive issue of whether people accused of a crime should have the right to hear the evidence against them.
Three terrorism suspects had claimed it was against their rights to be subject to control orders — which effectively impose a form of house arrest on them –Â on the basis of secret evidence they have been unable to challenge or even hear.
Is police action against protesters disproportionate?
A committee of MPs has warned police they must not impose restrictions on demonstrations “unless it is necessary and proportionate to do so.”
“The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right and one that the state and police have a duty to protect and facilitate,” said Andrew Dismore, chairman of the human rights committee.
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