Rónán Mullen (Independent)

An issue that is of grave concern to me and many others is the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to hear a challenge to our abortion law before its grand chamber of 17 judges by three Irish women. Quite apart from the merits or substance of this case, it is a very serious matter if any international body to which we are party should question our law on this most fundamental and significant of human rights and human dignity issues. Moreover, it would raise questions about the propriety of our continued membership of a body such as the Council of Europe and our adherence to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights if what we end up with is a bastardised form of human rights which does a violence to human dignity.