INDEPENDENT
Senator Joe O’Toole has launched a blistering attack on Catholic
primate Cardinal Sean Brady over his reaction to the abortion judgment
by the European Court of Human Rights.
Cardinal Brady said the judgment "does not oblige
Ireland to introduce legislation authorising abortion", adding: "The
direct destruction of an innocent human life can never be justified."
But Mr O’Toole urged the Church to "butt out of state affairs", and said the Minister for Foreign Affairs should dispatch a diplomatic cable to that effect to Armagh.
"They can do the praying up there and we’ll do the legislating down here," he said.
"And if we want to legislate for Sharia law or whatever kind of fundamentalism that he wants to peddle to us, we’ll give them a call when that arises."
Mr O’Toole said legislation was clearly required to provide for abortion in limited circumstances where a woman’s life was at risk.
He said he would have expected more humanity from the Church towards women at such risk.
"Whereas I wouldn’t have expected the Church leadership to be championing women’s rights, I really did believe that where it came to a straight position where a woman’s life was in danger, they would not stand in the way of appropriate medical treatment in those situations. I find it outrageous," he said.
He said it took his breath away to see the Church rush out a statement on the abortion issue when it taken many years "to move to protect abused children and deal with perverted clerics".
Mr O’Toole said the Government had now committed to introducing legislation on the abortion issue and should not allow itself be dictated to by "fundamentalists" in either Armagh or Rome.
"We are an independent republic, and we will do our own business, and we won’t be lectured to by any fundamentalist, whether he’s wearing a red hat in Armagh or a white hat in the Vatican," the senator said.
Mr O’Toole added that while he did not believe a referendum to be necessary on the issue, the public would give the Church its clear answer if such a referendum were held.
"I would ask the Church to… show some Christian humanity in their response to this issue," he said.
Cardinal Brady said in his statement that "the Catholic Church teaches that neither the unborn child nor the mother may be deliberately killed. The direct destruction of an innocent human life can never be justified, however difficult the circumstances," he added.
"We are always obliged to act with respect for the inherent right to life of both the mother and the unborn child in the mother’s womb. No law which subordinates the rights of any human being to those of other human beings can be regarded as a just law."
But Mr O’Toole urged the Church to "butt out of state affairs", and said the Minister for Foreign Affairs should dispatch a diplomatic cable to that effect to Armagh.
"They can do the praying up there and we’ll do the legislating down here," he said.
"And if we want to legislate for Sharia law or whatever kind of fundamentalism that he wants to peddle to us, we’ll give them a call when that arises."
Mr O’Toole said legislation was clearly required to provide for abortion in limited circumstances where a woman’s life was at risk.
He said he would have expected more humanity from the Church towards women at such risk.
"Whereas I wouldn’t have expected the Church leadership to be championing women’s rights, I really did believe that where it came to a straight position where a woman’s life was in danger, they would not stand in the way of appropriate medical treatment in those situations. I find it outrageous," he said.
He said it took his breath away to see the Church rush out a statement on the abortion issue when it taken many years "to move to protect abused children and deal with perverted clerics".
Mr O’Toole said the Government had now committed to introducing legislation on the abortion issue and should not allow itself be dictated to by "fundamentalists" in either Armagh or Rome.
"We are an independent republic, and we will do our own business, and we won’t be lectured to by any fundamentalist, whether he’s wearing a red hat in Armagh or a white hat in the Vatican," the senator said.
Mr O’Toole added that while he did not believe a referendum to be necessary on the issue, the public would give the Church its clear answer if such a referendum were held.
"I would ask the Church to… show some Christian humanity in their response to this issue," he said.
Cardinal Brady said in his statement that "the Catholic Church teaches that neither the unborn child nor the mother may be deliberately killed. The direct destruction of an innocent human life can never be justified, however difficult the circumstances," he added.
"We are always obliged to act with respect for the inherent right to life of both the mother and the unborn child in the mother’s womb. No law which subordinates the rights of any human being to those of other human beings can be regarded as a just law."
SIC: IXE/IE