THREE students' unions are due in the Supreme Court today to appeal against a permanent injunction preventing the publication of abortion information in student guidebooks.

The three unions involved - USI, TCDSU and UCDSU - face legal bills of up to £400,000 if the appeal is rejected, although such a decision could still be appealed at European level.

Today's court proceedings represent the latest chapter in the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) v Grogan abortion information case, which commenced in the 1980s. All three unions are currently liable for costs in the case, which refers in particular to an earlier appeal to the European Court of Justice. In 1991 the Court found against an appeal by the students on the State's right to place an injunction on the provision of abortion information.

The three unions have long been appealing for the Government to intervene on their behalf, arguing that the result of the 1992 referendum on abortion information indicates that the majority of public opinion is behind them and they are still being penalised for something which is now legal in the State under the terms of the referendum.