A Fine Gael MEP has claimed Irish opponents of the Nice Treaty will misrepresent a European Parliament vote yesterday as a step towards the EU foisting abortion on Ireland.
Mr John Cushnahan warned that the parliament's vote in support of a report advocating legalised abortion throughout the EU would prove to be a "major obstacle" in the way of securing ratification of the treaty.
EU member-states have exclusive responsibility on domestic medical care, including abortion.
The report on sexual and reproductive rights endorsed by the Strasbourg Parliament yesterday has no legal status within the EU. It was presented by a Belgian MEP, Ms Anne van Lancker, as an "own initiative" report.
Mr Cushnahan said that although the European Union has "no competence whatsoever on the issue of abortion, the parliament vote supporting it will be misrepresented by opponents of the Treaty of Nice.
"They will dishonestly claim that the EU will now foist abortion on Ireland against our will."
He said it was no coincidence that some of those most delighted with the outcome of yesterday's vote were British Tory Euro-sceptics.
Mr Cushnahan said his remarks were not aimed at any particular organisation, but "the overall rainbow coalition opposed to Nice".
The Irish electorate will be asked to vote on the Nice Treaty in a referendum next October, after rejecting it in a referendum last summer.
Mr Justin Barrett, from the Mother and Child Campaign, which is opposed to the treaty, said anti-abortion groups would not attempt to misrepresent the van Lancker report.
However, he insisted that while the report was not legally binding on member-states, it indicated a push towards the harmonisation of laws on issues like abortion.
"It's not a conspiray theory. The report is a flagging by the European Parliament that it wishes to see legal abortion made compulsory in all member-states and that it should be part of the future EU constitution."
He said it was not misrepresenting the issue to say that the parliament initiative was "one more step on the road to abortion being introduced throughout the EU".
However, Mr Cushnahan said such a stance justified his concerns about the "big lie" at the heart of the arguments of opponents of the Nice Treaty.
The EU Commissioner for Health, Mr David Byrne, told the parliament during this week's debate that the EU did not have competence to engage in healthcare delivery. "I would underline, as does the report, that the delivery of healthcare falls within the responsibility of the member-states. This also applies to the policy of delivery of sexual and reproductive rights."