Youth Defence disputes convention

YOUTH DEFENCE and its sister organisation in Northern Ireland Precious Life have called on the management of the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, Co Down, to cancel a major conference on abortion that is scheduled to take place next Friday.

The Dublin-based anti-abortion group said yesterday it would be joining with other similar groups in protesting at the conference hotel. 

“This is not about free speech, we all support that. This conference aims to explain new developments in abortion techniques – it’s about the grim business of killing unborn children.

“Abortion is illegal in this country and the conference organisers and the hotel must respect that,” said Katie Robinson of Youth Defence.

Bernadette Smyth, director of Precious Life in Belfast, said: “These abortionists will in fact be discussing training doctors in Ireland on how to kill babies in both early and late stages of pregnancy.”

The conference, which is supported by the Joseph Rowntree Social Services Trust and is titled the First All-Ireland Conference on Abortion and Clinical Practice, will feature leading clinicians from around Europe who will discuss the latest techniques in pregnancy terminations and developments in post-abortion care.

Spokeswoman for the Belfast office of the British Family Planning Association Audrey Simpson said: “This is not a political conference with an agenda. It’s all about developments and research within the provision of abortion services and, more importantly, the whole area of post-abortion care.”

A spokesman for the hotel was unavailable for comment.

SIC: IT/IE