In what can only be described as a devastating decision, an Irish judge ruled this week that "frozen embryos do not enjoy the same constitutional right to life as those carried in the womb." The judge further ruled that these embryos are not included in the constitutional right to life of the unborn which is part of the Irish constitution.
Justice Brian McGovern stated, "What is clear is that a debate which has existed over centuries continues to this day … Even within different religions, there can be disagreements as to when genetic material becomes a 'human being.'"
The judge ignores basic biological facts as have so many other judges over the past 33 years including our own Supreme Court. And he suggests that it is up to Irish lawmakers to decide the legal status of embryos resulting from IVF treatments.
The case must be made that every human being from his beginning, and regardless of how his life came into existence, is equally to be protected by law. Without such protection for the most vulnerable members of society such outrageous court decisions will continue. Whether it's Ireland or the United States, the establishment of personhood is the only way to eliminate arrogant injustice such this most recent Irish ruling.
