Press release, for immediate release
Thursday 9 December 2010
Ireland’s leading rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has welcomed today’s news that the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will issue a judgment on the restrictions on abortion in Ireland during a public hearing next week.
The Strasbourg Court’s judgment in the case of A. B. and C. v. Ireland will be handed down at 10am (Irish time) on Thursday 16 December 2010.
Speaking in advance of this much-anticipated ruling, the ICCL’s Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“Whatever the Court decides, the Grand Chamber’s decision to hold a public hearing is a clear signal that Strasbourg recognises the gravity of the interests at stake. For far too long, the restrictions on abortion in Ireland have amounted to a form of institutionalised hypocrisy, requiring vulnerable women to leave the State to avail of a procedure which should be safely and legally available here.”
“The time is ripe for appropriate legislation to be introduced to modernise Ireland’s antediluvian abortion regime” Mr Kelly added.
ENDS/
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Campaigns and Communications Officer
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4504
Mob: +353 87 9981574
E-mail: walter.jayawardene@iccl.ie
NOTE TO EDITOR:
The formal press release of the European Court of Human Rights announcing the forthcoming Chamber Judgment, and outlining details of the case can be downloaded at the below link: