ABORTION:THE STATUS of Ireland's abortion ban following the Lisbon Treaty has been a recurring issue in the referendum campaign, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin acknowledged yesterday.
He said it was difficult to quantify how significant the claims on abortion had become as a campaign issue.
But he said that Fianna Fáil campaigners, including himself, had had to deal with "untruths" being spread about abortion when canvassing outside churches, in shopping centres and on doorsteps.
"In certain respects it's important that we nail the lie," said Mr Martin.
He also strongly criticised the campaigning tactics of the anti-treaty group Cóir, which he claimed was a front organisation for Youth Defence.
Cóir, said Mr Martin, was the worst offender by far and its campaign had been about "seeking to generate fear".
Cóir has engaged in an extensive leafleting and poster campaign throughout the State: one of its central claims is that the incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights could lead to the loss of Irish sovereignty on issues like abortion, marriage, adoption, prostitution and euthanasia.
Mr Martin strongly rejected those contentions yesterday as "outrageous claims".
"This treaty continues to provide Ireland with absolute control with regard to the protection of the unborn," he said. "Member State policies with regard to abortion are clearly acknowledged as not being within the control of the European Union."
Saying that Cóir and Youth Defence were one and the same, he said this was not a new tactic from them.
He said that they also set up a "front organisation" during the Nice Treaty referendum that "sent out equally misleading material".
However, he accepted that the campaign and tactics of Cóir was having an impact.
"Many of our campaigners have been doing churches at the weekend. Certain people ask the question when they come out with a Cóir leaflet that has been left in the pew of the church or a certain newspaper.
"People are telling us that they are asking this question in this literature, that this treaty will bring in abortion. Indeed I have experienced it myself on the campaign trail, both at church gates and at shopping centres and indeed on the doorsteps. It's very difficult to quantify that but it's an issue that has surfaced."
He said that a lot of leaflets had been distributed by the group claiming that Europe wants to force Ireland to change its laws to allow the legalisation of prostitution, hard drugs, abortion and euthanasia.
"We have explained to people that the Maastricht Protocol is the key safeguard here. No treaty including this treaty can in any way affect the competency of a member State to deal with these social issues itself," he said.
Richard Green of Cóir last night maintained that the charter would become law for all EU citizens.
He told RTÉ that the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg would have precedence over the courts in Ireland.
