Health Minister Simon Harris A pro-life group has condemned Health Minister Simon Harris for attending the launch of Amnesty’s Ireland’s campaign for repeal of the Eighth Amendment yesterday.
LoveBoth criticised Mr Harris for backing Amnesty International’s campaign for a ‘Yes’ vote in the abortion referendum next month, despite the organisation’s refusal to co-operate with the State’s ethics watchdog.
The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) last year ordered Amnesty to repay a €137,000 donation from the US-based Open Society Foundation, funded by the Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Irish electoral law forbids ‘third parties’ from receiving donations for political purposes from foreign individuals and organisations.
Amnesty International Ireland executive director Colm O’Gorman yesterday told The Irish Times that the €137,000 donation, which Amnesty has refused to return, was used to persuade the Government to work towards changing Irish abortion law.
“It relates to a campaign that was targeted at Government to secure a commitment to changing Irish law on abortion,” he said. “It was seeking to change Government’s thinking on the whole issue of reproductive rights.”
Commenting on Minister Harris’ attendance at the launch, Cora Sherlock of the LoveBoth campaign said: “Minister Harris is fully aware that Amnesty Ireland received large sums of money from billionaire George Soros’ Foundation. Receiving money from abroad for political purposes is prohibited by the Electoral Acts. It is wholly unacceptable for the Minister for Health to be campaigning with an organisation that is currently involved in a court case with the elections regulator SIPO regarding the receipt of foreign money.
“The Minister for Health has never challenged Amnesty Ireland on the interference by a foreign billionaire in our democracy. Yet he saw fit today to walk through Moore Street with Amnesty Ireland campaigning for abortion,” she said.
Amnesty has received permission to challenge SIPO’s order. The case is expected to be heard later this month.