Huge implications at stake in Europe's 'Roe v. Wade' case to be decided Thursday
WHO: ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska
WHAT: Available for media interviews on decision in landmark abortion case A, B, and C v. Ireland
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 16, immediately after judgment is handed down at 11 a.m. CET (5 a.m. EST)
WHERE: Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, France
STRASBOURG, France — Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Roger Kiska will be available for media interviews Thursday when the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights hands down its judgment in the lawsuit A, B, and C v. Ireland, which has been dubbed the Roe v. Wade case of Europe. ADF attorneys are defending legal protections for pre-born children on behalf of the Family Research Council at the European Court of Human Rights against three women who sued to have the country’s constitutional amendment protecting innocent life abolished.
Because the lawsuit is being decided in the Grand Chamber of the ECHR, the ruling will be binding on all lower chambers and member states, making the case pivotal for Europe with implications that could be felt globally. The court heard oral argument in December of last year.
“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless,” said Kiska, who is based in Europe. “In this case, Ireland has a sovereign right to protect life as it does in its constitution, and we trust the court will uphold that right as it has done in the past. The stakes are clearly high for all of Europe.”
“This is a pivotal case for America as well,” Kiska added. “With ever-greater frequency, American courts are looking across the ocean to see how European courts are ruling on such matters. Because this case could be the Roe v. Wade of Europe, its impact upon the U.S. should not be underestimated.”
Three women in Ireland sued under the European Convention on Human Rights to overturn the country’s legal protections for pre-born children. The three, who never went to any doctor or court in Ireland but went directly to Britain to obtain their abortions, are fighting to establish a “right” to abortion in Ireland. The women are also seeking a precedent that would open the door to abortion as a right across all of Europe under the European Convention on Human Rights.
ADF and FRC filed a joint brief in November 2008 with two other pro-life organizations at the court’s request after it allowed the groups to intervene as defendants in the case.
WHAT: Available for media interviews on decision in landmark abortion case A, B, and C v. Ireland
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 16, immediately after judgment is handed down at 11 a.m. CET (5 a.m. EST)
WHERE: Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, France
STRASBOURG, France — Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Roger Kiska will be available for media interviews Thursday when the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights hands down its judgment in the lawsuit A, B, and C v. Ireland, which has been dubbed the Roe v. Wade case of Europe. ADF attorneys are defending legal protections for pre-born children on behalf of the Family Research Council at the European Court of Human Rights against three women who sued to have the country’s constitutional amendment protecting innocent life abolished.
Because the lawsuit is being decided in the Grand Chamber of the ECHR, the ruling will be binding on all lower chambers and member states, making the case pivotal for Europe with implications that could be felt globally. The court heard oral argument in December of last year.
“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless,” said Kiska, who is based in Europe. “In this case, Ireland has a sovereign right to protect life as it does in its constitution, and we trust the court will uphold that right as it has done in the past. The stakes are clearly high for all of Europe.”
“This is a pivotal case for America as well,” Kiska added. “With ever-greater frequency, American courts are looking across the ocean to see how European courts are ruling on such matters. Because this case could be the Roe v. Wade of Europe, its impact upon the U.S. should not be underestimated.”
Three women in Ireland sued under the European Convention on Human Rights to overturn the country’s legal protections for pre-born children. The three, who never went to any doctor or court in Ireland but went directly to Britain to obtain their abortions, are fighting to establish a “right” to abortion in Ireland. The women are also seeking a precedent that would open the door to abortion as a right across all of Europe under the European Convention on Human Rights.
ADF and FRC filed a joint brief in November 2008 with two other pro-life organizations at the court’s request after it allowed the groups to intervene as defendants in the case.
- Fact sheet on lawsuit
- ECHR press release on forthcoming Grand Chamber judgment
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.