DUBLIN, February 18, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Former pro-life music star-turned Member of the European Parliament for Ireland, Dana Rosemary Scallon has announced publicly she will not vote “Yes” in the March 6 abortion referendum. The move is seen as a major blow to the government’s referendum since Dana has herself campaigned for a referendum. However she points out that the current referendum does not “vindicate the value of life from conception.”“My conclusion has been reached after serious deliberation which has taken into account and been respectful of the many opinions put forward on the subject,” said a press release by Dana. She notes that she has herself “joined in the many calls for a new referendum… to restore adequate protection for the unborn.” She adds: “However, it is my belief that the current referendum not only does not afford protection for the unborn between the times of conception and implantation, it in fact removes the current protection of the pre-implanted unborn.”
Moreover, Dana pointed to a clause in the referendum giving doctors discretion to decide when a pregnant woman’s life is in danger – thus allowing abortion. “This could be open to wide interpretation, particularly if medical guidelines and ethics were to change in Ireland, as we are advised they may,” she said. She concluded her remarks stating: “As a matter of conscience and of my own integrity, my position must remain the same as it has always been – that I uphold the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.”
See the coverage in the Irish Times: https://www.online.ie/news/latest_irish/viewer.adp?article=1666490