Naturally enough, the Pro Life Campaign has reacted with surprise over the appointment today by Minister James Reilly of Tony O'Brien a leading abortion campaigner to the top job in the HSE.
Giving O'Brien the job as Chief Executive is very significant considering this is a man who campaigned vigorously against the 2002 pro-life referendum.
It's telling that an Irish Independent report on the O'Brien last week described him as a 'close confidante' of Minister Reilly. Could this explain some of Reilly less well advised comments on the abortion issue in recent times?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Not well for the Minister one would expect.
See the Pro Life Campaigns statement on this issue here
Showing posts with label pro life campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pro life campaign. Show all posts
Irish Examiner - Does the paper want to survive?
Can someone tell the Irish Examiner editorial team that being pro-life is the majority view and a mainstream view and the article they have published today (25th July 2012) is way out on the wings?
The tone is hysterical - a label the columnist bestows on pro-life campaigners. The language is hostile and bitter and polarising. This type of journalism is not conducive to genuine and mature debate on this important human rights issue.
The columnist glosses over the fact that both referenda post the X Case (on the substantive issue) were rejected by pro-lifers ( all of them in 1992 and a minority number in 2002).
The columnist references the 'alleged' opinion polls showing that a majority of the Irish public support the pro-life position. They either exist or they don't and last I heard Millward Brown Lansdowne and Red C were fairly significant players in the Irish market research scene. And it's worth noting that all the Millward Brown Lansdowne polls commissioned by the Pro Life Campaign in recent years actually spoke with members of the public face-to-face and didn't poll self-selected online groups.
There is nothing stopping pro-choice columnists from putting across their point of view and it is their right but the Irish Examiner should think twice before publishing such bitter polarising negative columns in their paper - especially since over and over again the Munster public - a large majority of them in fact - support protection of current medical practice in Ireland, a practice that safeguards womens' lives and protects the unborn child.
Does the Irish Examiner even want to survive?
The tone is hysterical - a label the columnist bestows on pro-life campaigners. The language is hostile and bitter and polarising. This type of journalism is not conducive to genuine and mature debate on this important human rights issue.
The columnist glosses over the fact that both referenda post the X Case (on the substantive issue) were rejected by pro-lifers ( all of them in 1992 and a minority number in 2002).
The columnist references the 'alleged' opinion polls showing that a majority of the Irish public support the pro-life position. They either exist or they don't and last I heard Millward Brown Lansdowne and Red C were fairly significant players in the Irish market research scene. And it's worth noting that all the Millward Brown Lansdowne polls commissioned by the Pro Life Campaign in recent years actually spoke with members of the public face-to-face and didn't poll self-selected online groups.
There is nothing stopping pro-choice columnists from putting across their point of view and it is their right but the Irish Examiner should think twice before publishing such bitter polarising negative columns in their paper - especially since over and over again the Munster public - a large majority of them in fact - support protection of current medical practice in Ireland, a practice that safeguards womens' lives and protects the unborn child.
Does the Irish Examiner even want to survive?
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