PR: Challenge to the Media

Media challenge: Ask the hard questions on abortion this weekend  

27 SEPTEMBER 2013

Youth Defence have challenged the Irish media to ask a late-term abortionist the hard questions on abortion this weekend. 

News interviews with Dr Shelley Sella, a US-based late-term abortionist who will speak in Dublin this weekend have been uncritical so far in the Irish Times and on Pat Kenny on Newstalk. 

"The portrayal of late term abortion and abortionists has been largely sympathetic and uncritical and the hard questions have been ignored," said Clare Molloy of Youth Defence. 

She challenged the Irish media to ask the hard questions of Dr Sella and to call her out on the facts. 

"For example, why isn't Dr Sella being asked about how these babies' lives are ended. Why isn't she asked how their bodies are disposed of?" she asked. 

Why are there no serious questions about foetal pain - and the serious trauma caused to women by late term abortion? Why has an opposing or alternative view not been offered in interviews to date?

"Dr Sella has been allowed to argue that most late-term abortions are performed because the baby will not live or for 'extremely difficult cases'  - but the research shows that, in fact, most late-term abortions are performed for social reasons,but the media have failed to challenge Dr Sella on this," she said. 

Also being brought to Ireland this weekend is Ann Furedi of BPAS who comes here at the behest of abortion campaigners. Ms Furedi has defended the shocking practise of gendercide- arguing that women had a 'legal right' to abort a baby simply because the baby is a girl. 

"Will the Irish media ask the hard questions of Shelley Sella and Ann Furedi or will they allow themselves to be used to promote late-term abortion and gendercide," said Ms Molloy. "These questions are being asked by the British and US media, and the Irish media should do the same." 

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