Youth Defence plans more protests

The anti-abortion group, Youth Defence, will hold protests against politicians it considers should have done something to prevent…

The anti-abortion group, Youth Defence, will hold protests against politicians it considers should have done something to prevent the girl in the C case travelling for an abortion.

This follows a picket by about 40 people on the home of Eastern Health Board chairwoman Ms Roisin Shortall TD on Wednesday. Gardai took protesters' names which, according to Youth Defence, included members of the girl's family, but there were no arrests.

A spokesman for Youth Defence, Mr Maurice Colgan, said the protest was to "highlight her disgraceful lack of intervention in this case. We will continue to protest against Roisin Shortall . . . We want to send a message to so-called pro-life politicians who were silent on this. There will definitely be other protests."

He deplored Ms Shortall's attitude to the girl's family. "The parents approached her. She ignored them totally. She had the power to call an extraordinary meeting and put a motion that the EHB should not be looking for an order in the courts for an abortion of an Irish girl."

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Replying to the statement from the EHB on the question of access to the girl, he said the arrangements made were not to the satisfaction of the parents, who wanted unsupervised access.

The EHB has stated that at no time did it "prevent, discourage or deny" access by the parents, though not unsupervised. For reasons of confidentiality it could not elaborate on this, but it is understood the girl and the solicitor appointed by the court to represent her interests were opposed to an unsupervised visit.

Ms Shortall was not at home when the picket took place but her husband and three children were. "It is extremely annoying. It is totally unacceptable that the homes and families of politicians be targeted," she said.

She added that, as EHB chairwoman, she had no role whatsoever in the handling of individual cases. "Their view of the health board's role is totally at variance with the facts. The functions of the members and of the executive are very clearly laid down in the Act passed last year," she said.