The chief executive of the Irish Family Planning Association has written to the Taoiseach challenging him to debate the abortion referendum proposals. The IFPA is campaigning for a No vote in the forthcoming referendum.
Mr Tony O'Brien wrote to Mr Ahern yesterday when the latter declined a challenge to a televised public debate on the issues involved from the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan.
In his letter Mr O'Brien said: "Given the complexity of the proposals, the general state of confusion that they appear to have engendered and the difficulties now being faced by the Referendum Commission, I believe that Deputy Noonan's proposal for a live television debate has considerable merit."
He urged the Taoiseach to accept the proposal "in the interests of public information, fair debate and democracy."
Referring to Mr Ahern's reported refusal on the basis that this would bring a party political dimension to the debate, he said: "Given the division of the Dáil on this issue along party lines, this party political dimension is already apparent. I also believe that you contributed to this yourself in the Dáil last week."
However, if the Taoiseach maintained this position, he said, he would offer such a public challenge himself.
"As a representative of a non-party organisation, with a direct policy interest in the outcome of the referendum, as a leading No campaigner and as an individual with no ties to any political party, I believe that your reported objections have no bearing on the challenge which I intend to make," he said.
If the Taoiseach refused this challenge, it "would send a very unfortunate signal to the electorate," Mr O'Brien concluded.