By Elizabeth O’Brien
DUBLIN, July 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hailed as a sensational pro-life victory, first-time candidate Rónán Mullen was elected to the Irish Senate after basing his campaign upon pro-life and pro-family values.
Mullen replaced Brendan Ryan of the Labour Party in a surprise victory this week. Of the 43 available seats in the Seanad or Senate, the upper house of the Irish Parliament, he was elected to one of the three seats that are chosen by The National University of Ireland.
Mullen is a columnist for the Irish Daily Mail as well as a lecturer in Law and Communications at the Institute of Technology in Blanchardstown. He is also a former press officer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin where he worked as spokesman for Cardinal Desmond Connell.
From the beginning, Mullen’s campaign has been based upon solid pro-family and pro-life principles and is completely committed to the “dignity of the human person.” On his official website, he states, “I believe the system fails if politicians forget the things that really matter: the dignity of the person and the value of family and community life. “
In addition, he has consistently promoted the rights of the unborn. Part of his campaign policy is entitled, “Dignity of the person-no second class citizens.” In this section, he stated, “Every society should be judged on how it treats its most vulnerable members.”
The statement continued, “In a just society there can be no second-class citizens. Public policy should be geared towards helping disadvantaged members of society to survive and thrive, to flourish and reach their potential. This can only happen if in our schools, our public advertising campaigns, in the shaping of legislation and the delivery of public services, we emphasize the dignity of each person and the importance of solidarity across the community.”
He concluded, “The notion of respect for life is meaningless unless it applies across the board. Whether born or unborn, old or young, able-bodied or coping with disability, Irish or foreign, each human person has a claim on our understanding and support.”
Mullen’s policy outlines also targeted the controversial issue of stem cell research, stating, “Progress in this area should be characterized by the principle of solidarity. Scientific research conducted at the expense of human dignity would diminish us all. It would divide the scientific community between those who want to conduct certain kinds of research and those who are conscientious objectors. “
He publicly and definitively supported adult stem cell research rather than embryonic stem cell research, saying, “Adult stem cell research involves the use of stem cells from existing body tissues, e.g. bone marrow, blood and liver. This is preferable to embryo stem cell research which is controversial because it entails the destruction of human embryos.” He also noted that adult stem cell research is “in keeping with Ireland’s constitutional tradition of respect for unborn life.”
In addition, Mullen plans to abolish the tax individualization that places a heavy burden on single-income families.
During his election speech, as quoted in the Irish Times, he stated, “what we’ve achieved is we have found a new way to talk about certain values in Irish life and those values have resonated with people and those values are respect for the dignity of the person and respect for life itself at all stages and in all situations.”
Irish Rally For Life a Huge Success
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07070901.html
Ronan Mullen’s Website:
https://www.ronanmullen.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx