Presidential candidate Prof Mary McAleese has said she didn't have "any particular views" about in-vitro fertilisation, despite having participated in a Catholic Church video opposing this technique to assist pregnancies. Journalists asked her about her involvement in the video, produced in 1987 by the Catholic Communications Centre through Veritas Video Productions, as she arrived at Croke Park to meet Kerry and Mayo fans arriving for the All-Ireland football final.
"God bless us and save us. This is some place and we going to the Mayo-Kerry match," she said. "Well I don't have any particular views. Look at the video," she said. "I was a journalist on a video."
Aspects of the video were highlighted in a report yesterday in the Sunday Business Post. She did not challenge comments in the video by an Australian Anglican priest, Rev John Fleming. Rev Fleming reportedly claimed that 90 per cent of those using the technique had problems conceiving because of self-imposed damage caused by abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and the use of IUD contraceptives.
Adi Roche has said she will not be drawn into a "slanging match" with other candidates over her plans for a "children's Presidency" and the transformation of Aras an Uachtarain into a "musical wonderland" for children.
Her ideas were criticised at the weekend by Mary Banotti.