March 28th, 2013,
Re: Oireachtas Research Visit to USA on the subject of Abortion Legislation
Dear Colleagues,
As you may know a few of us have participated in a research visit to New York and Washington DC where we sought further information and clarity on the subject of abortion. Prior to this, some of us had attended the Oireachtas Health Committee hearings which raised related issues and questions.
The visit was cross party, cross border and multi-denominational. In attendance were Deputies
James Bannon, Terence Flanagan, Peter Matthews, Mattie McGrath and John O’Mahony and
Senators Paul Bradford, Fidelma Healy Eames, Paschal Mooney, Brian O Domhnaill and Jim Walsh.
From the Northern Ireland Assembly & House of Commons came Mr Paul Givan, MLA, Mr Pat
Ramsey, MLA and Ian Paisley Jr., MP.
Amongst the issues we addressed during the course of our visit were the following:
Health of Women
· What more can be done for girls and women with unwanted pregnancies in
Ireland?
· What are the effects of abortion, short and long term, on women and their
health?
· How can we guarantee that women in pregnancy receive all necessary
medical treatment?
· In the case of women who have had abortions what could have helped them
to continue their pregnancy?
Facts and Experience of Abortion and Abortion Legislation
· Can legislation on abortion be limited/ restricted?
· Can abortion on the grounds of suicide be narrowly defined and confined?
· Where abortion was introduced on the grounds of threatened suicide has it
been expanded?
· Can we differentiate between abortion and essential medical treatment
which sometimes leads to the death of the unborn?
· What new developments have occurred in medical science and knowledge
which should inform our approach on the subject?
Equality & Human Rights
· Is abortion the real human rights issue of our age?
· Are all human beings equal or are some more important than others?
· Does abortion empower women?
· Do the unborn have any rights?
· Where is the father in the abortion debate?

The Duty of Legislators
· Should politicians ignore their conscience when voting on abortion?
The Likely Impact of Abortion Legislation on Irish Society
· What type of Ireland are we likely to have in 10 years’ time if we legislate
for abortion now?
Does it change the ethos of the medical profession which is to preserve life and
'above all do no harm'? If so, what are the implications of same?
Meetings
During our visit we met with internationally renowned experts in the fields of philosophy, medicine, feminism, law and social science. We received substantive presentations from the following:
1. Professor Robert George, Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University.
He lectures on constitutional interpretation, civil liberties and philosophy of law. He is a former
Judicial Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States.
2. Dr Piero Tozzi, Member of the International Law and Practice Section of the New York State
Bar Association. He specialises on abortion law in the Americas.
3. His Excellency Francis Assisi Chullikatt , Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United
Nations.
4. Dr Donna Harrison, Director of Research and Public Policy at The American Association of Pro-
Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
5. Dr Bill Saunders, Member of the Supreme Court Bar.
He served for ten years as Senior Fellow in Bioethics and Human Rights Counsel. He has authored numerous legal briefs in state, federal, foreign, and international courts including the A,B & C vs.
Ireland case at the European Court of Human Rights.
6. Mr Paul Linton, Constitutional scholar.
He has a particular expertise on the effects of abortion legislation in the individual states in the
United States.
7. Charles J.Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia. He has published on the subject of conscience, politics and public life. His works include Render Unto Caesar. A noted opponent of the death penalty.
8. Ms Serrin Foster, President of Feminists for Life.
Among other achievements, she has successfully advocated benefits for poor and pregnant women through the State Child Health Insurance Program.
Capitol Hill Meetings
We spent a day on Capitol Hill where we met with members of the US Senate and US Congress from both parties. In addition to the question of abortion, these discussions were broad ranging and included making the case for the undocumented Irish, answering questions about Ireland’s economy and the health of the Eurozone economy, Ireland’s corporation tax rate and Energy supply and exploration.

Conclusions
This brief report only touches on the key learnings from our meetings. Some findings, however, appear very pertinent
· The need for ‘hopeful solutions’ for women with unwanted pregnancies was discussed by all presenters. The need for women’s care centres, attitudinal change, more accountable fathers, more understanding families and workplaces as well as a range of supports pre and post birth was a common theme. Adoption was also highlighted by the presenters, who noted the irony of the lengthy waiting lists for adoption at a time when wide-spread abortion is taking place.
· Rather than abortion ‘empowering’ women, much evidence was presented to highlight the unfair pressure placed on women to consider abortion. Societal and family pressures can promote shortterm convenience ahead of the real long-term interests and welfare of women, disempowering poorer women, in particular. Abortion is a reflection that we’ve not met the needs of women.
· The overwhelming evidence presented to us highlighted the fact that abortion is not a treatment for suicide ideation, as also confirmed at our Oireachtas Health Committee hearings in January. We learnt that 98%of abortions are carried out on mental health grounds. Substantial research was presented around the serious and often ignored effects on women post-abortion — physical, mental, psychological and intergenerational. Greater detail of these effects is available.
· No country or state has ever managed, no matter how well intentioned, to restrict limited abortion legislation, especially on grounds of suicide. For example, the Therapeutic Abortion Act in
California was enacted in 1967 on the strict grounds of 'where the mother was a danger to herself'.
The legislation included oversight by registered psychiatrists, yet within three years the number of abortions in the state had risen from 518 to over 63,000. Similar evidence exists from the UK,
France, New Zealand and Chile to name a few. The experience of judicial activism being used to widen abortion law was highlighted.
· Once abortion legislation is introduced everything changes. An abortion culture becomes pervasive. While the number of young people opposed to abortion is growing substantially, the practice of abortion has become so commonplace that some families practice gendercide, i.e. the aborting of unborn babies that doesn’t suit their preferred family make-up. We witnessed video evidence of this practice being discussed and facilitated in a leading US family planning clinic.
These are just some of the issues that we as Oireachtas members must reflect upon during the forthcoming debate on the proposed abortion legislation.
Deputies James Bannon, Terence Flanagan, Peter Matthews, Mattie McGrath and John O’Mahony and Senators Paul Bradford, Fidelma Healy Eames, Paschal Mooney, Brian O Domhnaill and Jim
Walsh.