Notre Dame alum and president of Life House Ireland Scott Schittl came to Notre Dame with Tim Jackson, a representative from Youth Defense, to share the mission to keep abortion out of Ireland.

Life House Ireland was founded in 2011 to help fund efforts to prevent the legalization of abortion in Ireland.  With headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, Life House draws support from the Irish-American communities of the East Coast.

Run by young men and women, Youth Defense is Ireland’s largest pro-life organization.  Founded in 1992 in response to the threat of the legalization of abortion, Youth Defense has since succeeded in maintaining Ireland’s pro-life stance to abortion.

Schittl articulated the difference between the two groups.

“Youth Defense is geared more towards activism and lobbying,” he said.  “Life House Ireland, on the other hand, has come from an effort to reach out to Irish Americans and also to people who care deeply about life issues.”

Ireland’s anti-abortion position was challenged in 2010 with the controversial ABC case.  Due to Ireland’s laws against abortion, three anonymous women, “A,” “B,” and “C,” were compelled to obtain abortions in Britain.  A, B, and C primarily argued that Ireland’s anti-abortion laws violated their right to privacy.  The case bypassed Irish courts and went before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

After finding in favor of C, Jackson explained, the government formed a politically unbalanced panel to evaluate options in moving forward: “The government set up an expert group to determine how to take the ruling, and placed abortion advocates and pro-lifers with a 5 to one ratio.  The Irish government can reject the ruling of the expert panel, but it’s unlikely that they will.”

Scott said that this case continues to pose a challenge for Ireland.  “It is vital to inform the public that we don’t want a court, especially an outside European court, [interfering],” he said.  “We’ve had too much of that in the past.”

Jackson addressed the subversive involvement of Planned Parenthood in the ABC case.

“Planned Parenthood lawyer Julie Kay described Ireland as ‘the jewel in the crown of the pro-life movement,’” he said. The legalization of abortion will be a major victory for the culture of death.”

Schittl stressed the historical importance of the case.

“This is very much a Roe v. Wade moment for Ireland,” he said.  “The outcome rests with the ability of one idea or the other to activate the public, particularly our side. We need to activate the public.”

Crucial to the fight against legalized abortion is the activation of Ireland’s medical community.  Schittl discussed doctors’ strong moral code.  “Doctors in Ireland have a very strong code of ethics; a doctor who performs an abortion can be struck off the register,” he said.

Although controversial, the legalization of abortion is not a law Irish citizens unilaterally demand.  Schittl noted, “There isn’t an organized group of activists who seek to change Ireland’s abortion laws.  There’s not an equivalent of youth defense on the other side.”

Schittl and Jackson encouraged students to pursue summer internships with Youth Defense and to become involved with the fight to keep Ireland pro-life.

Contact Stephanie House at shouse1@nd.edu.  For more information, visit www.lifehouseireland.org and www.youthdefense.ie.