TRÓCAIRE HAS asked to be removed from a list of organisations
appearing to endorse a report that claims the State interferes with
women’s rights by restricting abortion.
The development charity is
a member of Dóchas, one of 18 organisations behind the “Your Rights.
Right Now” report which has been submitted to the United Nations as part
of a human rights review process.
A spokeswoman for Trócaire said
the Dóchas submission to the report sought a commitment to Ireland
achieving 0.7 per cent of GDP for overseas aid by 2015.
Dóchas is a
network of organisations working in international development and
humanitarian relief.
“As an agency of the Bishops Conference,
Trócaire complies with the teachings of the Catholic Church. While happy
as a member of Dóchas to see a recommendation relating to the UN target
of 0.7 per cent included in the report, Trócaire has not in its own
right considered or endorsed any aspect of this report,” she said.
The
spokeswoman confirmed that Trócaire had sought successfully to have the
charity’s name removed from the list of organisations appearing under
the headline “Endorse the Report” on the website where the report was
published earlier last week.
The report was unveiled by Minister
of State for Disability, Equality and Mental Health Kathleen Lynch.
It
called for the immediate enactment of legislation “to clarify the
circumstances under which an abortion may be lawful”.
A
spokeswoman for the “Your Rights. Right Now” campaign said it had worked
in consultation with civil society across the country to “benchmark”
how Ireland was meeting its international human rights obligations.
“All
of the views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the
policies and positions of each endorsing organisation,” she added.
The
report stated that “criminalisation of abortion means that safe and
legal terminations are inaccessible in Ireland for all women and girls”.