Paul Keenan
The Iona Institute and the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) are among a number of life advocates set to address the Citizens’ Assembly next month.
Following its own written submission to the Assembly as part of the consultation process around the gathering, Iona confirmed that it had received a formal invitation to make a 10-minute presentation to the 99 Assembly members on March 5.
Submission
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Iona’s director David Quinn said his organisation has now prepared its presentation, based on the original submission.
The Citizen’s Assembly received the draft of that presentation today, February 23.
“The presentation will restate the reasons why we believe a referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment is not necessary,” Mr Quinn said, “and deal with the concerns we have about the [Assembly] process and some of the speakers invited to present.”
On this latter element, Mr Quinn was referring to the angry reactions from political and life advocate quarters when the last sitting of the Assembly invited representatives of the partisan Guttmacher Institute and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service to address the delegates.
This paper understands that other pro-life groups invited include Family & Life and Youth Defence.