Reggie Littlejohn of Women's Rights Without Frontiers in Dublin

Human rights activist Chen Guangcheng escapes house arrest in China

Last Tuesday Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and internationally recognised expert on China's One Child Policy was in Ireland highlighting human rights abuses against women in China and the plight of blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng, a campaigner against forced abortion and other abuses that arise from the Chinese One Child Policy.

Ms Littlejohn briefed members of the Oireachtas and addressed a public meeting hosted by the Pro Life Campaign in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers is a non-partisan, international coalition to oppose forced abortion, sterilisation and human trafficking in China and Ms. Littlejohn is an internationally recognised expert on China’s One Child Policy and the problems it has caused.

The One Child Policy in implemented through, moral, financial and sometimes physical abuse with cases of heavily women being held down as their baby was aborted. This policy combined with a cultural preference for boys over girls has led to what’s become known as “gendercide,” the deliberate targeting of baby girls for abortion or even infanticide. It is estimated that over 100 Million baby girls have been aborted in China alone for the simple reason that they were girls. This has led to a skewed sex ratio in China where there are 113 boys born for every 100 girls. The ratio in Ireland of 106 boys to 100 girls is the figure demographers consider normal.

Reggie Littlejohn and supporters of Stop Gendercide Now outside the Chinese Embassy in Dublin on 25th April

Ms. Littlejohn has highlighted for some years the case of Chinese lawyer and human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng who was put under house arrest in 2005 as punishment for campaigning against the human rights abuses endured by Chinese women as a result of the One Child Policy. Even though he was officially released from prison he was kept in detention and denied treatment despite suffering a serious illness.

On Wednesday Ms. Littlejohn (who has been denied entry into China because of her advocacy for Chen and the women he has represented) led an awareness event for Chen’s case outside the Chinese Embassy in Dublin. Chen, who’s been blind from an early age, wears sunglasses all the time and as part of the campaign to highlight his case Ms. Littlejohn and other activists donned sunglasses in solidarity.

On Friday, it was announced that Cheng has escaped captivity and he is reported as being in hiding in the United States Embassy in Beijing. This news was an international sensation. While Reggie Littlejohn has welcomed the news of his escape she has also highlighted the fact that he is not yet out of danger and that he, his family, including his wife and daughter (who are still under observation in the family home), remain in danger. She has also called on the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who is visiting China from Beijing to raise his case.

For more information on Reggie and her work and to sign a petition calling on the Chinese government to release Chen Guangcheng, visit Women’s Rights Without Frontiers website

The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has welcomed the defeat of a Bill which would have legalised abortion up until birth.

19th April 2012

In a statement today, Caroline Simons of the Pro Life Campaign described the abortion Bill which was defeated this morning in Dáil Éireann, and proposed by Socialist Party TD Clare Daly, as “unnecessary and misleading”.  The Bill was defeated by 111 votes to 20.

Ms Simons said: “Today's result vindicates the work done by the highly professional medical staff who provide world class care to Irish mothers.

“The sponsors of this Bill misleadingly tried to suggest that pregnant women in Irish hospitals were not receiving necessary medical treatment. This is demonstrably false.

Caroline Simons speaking to media outside Dáil Éireann yesterday

 Wendy Grace and Maria Coleman outside Dáil Éireann yesterday

“As Government ministers pointed out during the debate, Ireland has an exceptional record in respect of maternal healthcare. UN data repeatedly shows that we are world leaders in caring for pregnant women.

“For TDs to be scaremongering about this, instead of celebrating the achievement of our medical profession is shameful and irresponsible.”

Ms Simons added that the Pro Life Campaign was aware that the Government's Expert Group was working to address concerns raised by the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ireland's abortion law.

PLC volunteers standing with women who regret their abortion

She said: “We await the findings of the Expert Group, and we trust that it will take into account all the facts, including the fact that we can abide by the ECHR ruling in the ABC -v- Ireland case, while also protecting the unborn child.

“We also trust that Fine Gael will honour the pre-election commitments it made to protect Ireland's pro-life laws, and the pro-life, pro-woman ethos of our medical profession.”

Ends

At Dáil Éireann before the debate yesterday

Caroline Simons was interviewed for RTÉ News yesterday evening at the Dáil.   You can watch it here

Cora Sherlock was interviewed for TV3 News yesterday. You can watch the segment here

Caroline Simons participated in the Late Debate on RTÉ Radio last night.  You can listen back to the debate here

See coverage of Dr. Ruth Cullen in today's Irish Times here

Our Dáil event was covered in today's Irish Independent.  You can view coverage here

Dr. Ruth Cullen has an opinion piece in Journal.ie  today.  You can read it here

Adele and Lynn at Dáil Éireann

Pro Life Campaign says Labour Party abortion stance 'ignores hurt abortion causes women'

A motion passed at yesterday’s Labour Party conference in favour of abortion legislation has been described by the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) as “ignoring the hurt that abortion causes women”.

In a statement, PLC spokesperson, Dr Ruth Cullen said that those who spoke in favour of the motion had “tried to imply that legislation would safeguard women’s lives”.

“In fact, the motion was about seeking abortion on demand,” Dr Cullen said.

She added: “Those who supported the motion should know that Ireland, without abortion, is the safest country for pregnant women and that there is a clear distinction between necessary medical treatment in pregnancy and direct abortion, the aim of which is to end the baby’s life.

“Repeatedly, figures from the United Nations on maternal mortality show that Ireland is a world leader in this area. Yet instead of celebrating this achievement, pro-abortion campaigners repeatedly distort the facts.

“The adoption of the motion also shows that the Labour Party is ignoring the hurt that abortion causes women.

“Increasingly, research is showing that abortion is a leading risk factor for increased mental health problems for women.

“Despite this, Labour has assumed an outdated position that refuses to take on board this evidence, or the stories that many women are telling about the trauma that abortion has caused them.”

Dr Cullen added: “There is nothing progressive about adopting a policy that disregards the right to life and ignores the negative effects of abortion on women.

“This latest evidence of Labour’s aggressive stance in favour of abortion makes it all the more imperative that voters hold Fine Gael to their election promise to retain Ireland’s pro-life stance.”

Reggie Littlejohn of Women's Rights Without Frontiers to speak in Dublin

Reggie Littlejohn is a litigation lawyer and serves as an expert on China’s One Child Policy. She is the founder of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, an organisation dedicated to raising public awareness of the coercive enforcement of China’s One Child Policy and resulting human rights abuses. 

Reggie will be speaking about her work on Tuesday, 24th April at 7pm in the O' Casey Room, Gresham Hotel, O' Connell Street, Dublin 1. Places are limited so if you would like to attend, please email mail@prolifecampaign.ie or telephone 086 2195317 with your details.

Over several years, she has testified before the US Congressional Human Rights Commission, briefed the White House, the European Parliament, the British Parliament and others on this issue.  As a lawyer she has represented Chinese refugees in political asylum cases in the United States.

Watch a short youtube about Reggie's work by clicking below:

Pro Life Campaign welcomes Government's rejection of abortion recommendations

15th March 2012

The Irish Government's decision to reject recommendations made by a number of UN member states for Ireland to legislate for abortion “recognises the reality that Ireland is the safest country in the world for women to give birth” the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has said.

Last October the Irish government appeared before the UN Human Rights Council as part of the Universal Periodic Review process and rejected calls made by six countries for Ireland to legislate for abortion.  The countries were Holland, Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, Norway and Spain.

A Government report designed as a response to a series of other recommendations made last year as part of the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was presented in Geneva this morning and confirms Ireland's decision to reject calls for abortion.

Responding to the adoption of the Universal Periodic Review report, PLC spokesperson Dr Ruth Cullen welcomed the Government’s stance.

Dr Cullen said: “Calls for abortion legislation fly in the face of the United Nation's own recent research showing that Ireland, without abortion, is a world leader in terms of safety for women in pregnancy. Maternal safety in Ireland, it should be noted, is better than in the six countries which last year sought to put pressure on Ireland to introduce abortion. The latest UN study on maternal mortality, published in 2010, shows that out of 172 countries for which estimates are given, Ireland remains a world leader in safety for pregnant women.”[1]


[1] Report on Maternal Mortality, UN, UNFPA, World Health Organisation 2010

Looking for the truth about abortion – Dr. Ruth Cullen responds to Irish Times opinion piece feedback

March 13th 2012 – The Irish Times

Sir, – Patrick Walsh (March 8th) takes issue with me (Opinion, March 5th) for not referring to the recent systematic review by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) and its comments on mental health outcomes for women following abortion.

Mr Walsh also says that the review holds that unwanted pregnancy rather than abortion itself is linked to mental health problems. However, the review states that whether an unwanted pregnancy is continued or ends in abortion makes no difference to the mental health of the mother. This, therefore, undermines the argument that the termination of pregnancy by abortion will protect women’s mental health.

This feature of the review also completely undercuts the medical justification for abortion in countries like England where the vast majority are carried out on alleged mental health grounds. It is odd how some pro-choice groups are using the latest review as evidence to back up their case when it does nothing of the sort.

In addition, the review points to situations where abortion poses adverse outcomes for women. There is also mounting peer- reviewed evidence showing that abortion has negative consequences for women with no prior mental health problems. We need to acknowledge this honestly and factor it into the debate. – Yours, etc,

Dr RUTH CULLEN,

Pro Life Campaign,

Lower Baggot Street,

Dublin 2.

Read this letter on the Irish Times website here

Pro Life Campaign awareness event at Dáil Éireann to mark 20th anniversary of Supreme Court X Case decision

 

 

5th March 2012

The Pro Life Campaign marked the 20th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in the X Case yesterday with an article by spokesperson Dr. Ruth Cullen in the Irish Times and an awareness event held at Dáil Éireann.  

The 1992 case of the Attorney General -v- X was a landmark case when the Supreme Court held that abortion was permissible in certain circumstances, including the threat of suicide.  The court heard no medical evidence.  The X Case decision has not been legislated for in the twenty years since, largely because the position taken by the court is not supported by the Irish public and medical evidence.

Above: A selection of photos from today's awareness event

Spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, Cora Sherlock said in a press statement earlier today:
"The reason successive governments have not introduced abortion in line with the X case ruling is because there are fatal flaws in the court’s decision.

First, the court heard no medical evidence and set no time limits for when an abortion could take place. Second, legislation based on the X ruling would fly in the face of the mounting evidence in one peer-reviewed study after another showing serious negative effects for a significant number of women following from abortion.

Women deserve better than abortion and so do their babies. The challenge for us in Ireland is to keep improving our world leading record in safety for mothers and their unborn children rather than going down the route of legalised abortion".