Impromptu protest held at Labour office over abortion

By Dara Bradley

The Labour Party general election candidate in Galway West says that the next government, no matter what parties it contains, will have to legislate for abortion in certain circumstances where there is a threat to the life of the mother.

City Councillor Derek Nolan says that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Irish state must legislate for the decision of the Irish Supreme Court in the ‘X’ case – the Labour Party has agreed to do this and he says all other candidates of the main parties and independents in the constituency have said they would do the same.

Cllr Derek Nolan says certain “far-right” groups have been “lying” about his party’s stance on abortion.

His comments come following last Friday’s picket of Cllr Nolan’s constituency office in Prospect Hill where about 30 protestors took part in a two-hour ‘pro-life’ demonstration.

A spokesperson for the group, Maria Mahoney, told the Sentinel the impromptu demonstration was held because of comments made by Cllr Nolan on Galway Bay FM in which, she says, he was misrepresenting Labour’s and other parties’ stances on the controversial issue.

The demonstrators placed a row of empty baby buggies in front of the Labour office to symbolise the unborn children who would not be born if abortion were available in Ireland.

“Derek Nolan and (Labour leader) Eamon Gilmore have publicly stated they are in favour of legislating for abortion and we protested because he (Nolan) was misrepresenting the stated labour position on local radio,” said Ms Mahoney.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.