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Justice minister Alan Shatter addressing the UN's UPR in Geneva last week.

Ireland rejects UN calls to legislate for abortion rulings

The UN publishes the outcome report of Ireland’s human rights review – revealing some 15 recommendations it is rejecting.

Updated, 16.49

THE UNITED NATIONS has published its draft outcome report following the Universal Periodic Review of its human rights record in Geneva last week.

The report reveals that while Ireland has accepted the majority of the recommendations made by other UN member states, it has rejected some 15 of those recommendations.

Among those recommendations are calls from the UK to introduce legislation implementing last year’s ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of A, B and C versus Ireland.

Ireland did commit, however, to “expeditious implementation” of the ECHR ruling and said it would appoint an expert group on the matter next month “with a view to making recommendations to government on how this matter should be best addressed”.

Slovenia’s request that Ireland allow abortion in cases “when pregnancy poses a risk to the health of the pregnant woman” was also turned down.

Other recommendations which “did not enjoy the support” of Ireland include bringing its abortion laws in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and revising laws on abortion in cases where the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Requests of six countries to ratify or come party to the International Convention on Migrant Workers and Members of their Families were also turned down, as was a request to introduce a law allowing refugees to work and attend family reunions.

Ireland agreed to follow 62 recommendations made by other member states, and said it would examine a further 49, with a decision on the latter recommendations to be made by March 2012.

Many of the recommendations to which Ireland agreed included addressing prison conditions and acceding to UN conventions and protocols.

Among those being considered by Ireland are gender parity laws and proposals to enact laws enhancing the legal status of children ahead of the referendum on children’s rights.

Your Rights Right Now, a coalition of NGOs, welcomed the report, saying Ireland was either accepting or considering around 90 per cent of the recommendations made of it.

“This is a remarkably high ‘strike rate’ and testament to the seriousness with which the Universal Periodic Review process has been taken by Government and civil society,” Mark Kelly of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said.

Kelly said Your Rights Right Now would “continue to campaign for the Government to take on board some of the small handful of recommendations that it has yet to accept.”

The Pro-Life Campaign welcomed the government’s decision to oppose the recommendations on abortion law, saying the calls “fly in the face of the UN’s own recent research showing that Ireland, without abortion, is a world leader in terms of safety for women in pregnancy”.

In full: Draft Report into UN’s Universal Periodic Review (PDF)

Read: In-cell sanitation, abortion and immigration discussed at UN human rights review

Poll: Does Ireland’s human rights record have ‘serious gaps’?

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    Mute Pauric Mcgowan
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 10:54 AM

    Nice to see Donegal not getting slatted in relation to motoring.

    56
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    Mute Vinny Doherty
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:34 AM

    Really who gives a shit!what a daft poll..

    54
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    Mute TomTraubert
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:51 AM

    Yep. It’ll be one of Conor Faughnan’s irrelevant sound bites in a few weeks to deflect attention away from a question he hasn’t got a sensible answer for.

    13
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    Mute Faceless Man
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:02 AM

    How much of this has something to do with motorways where’s it’s dangerous to stop? Kildare has a number of motorways running through it, Donegal has none.

    49
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    Mute Paul Stewart
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:14 PM

    number of motorways? kildare people are just sub-urban snobs….go to donegal you will see how it differs :)

    48
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    Mute Jerking Jester
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:25 AM

    its advised that you dont stop as it could be a sneaky way to rob your car, wallet purse or even worse.

    41
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    Mute suzanne nolan
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:09 AM

    Don’t blame the lads for not wanting to stop for a lone female by themselves, they wouldn’t know what their getting out to!!

    41
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    Mute Paul
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:37 AM

    totally agree, had an unfortunate incident some years back where I stopped to help a woman who had broken down. her car was generally in pretty bad shape. after a while checking the basics, she tore into me for making it worse. I called the AA and got the hell out of there. never again.

    52
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    Mute bren
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 4:09 PM

    Haha, I’d a similar incident, where I got out to help a woman change her tyre. The spare was one of those “80km max” (skinny) tyres. When I told her she should head straight to a tyre place to get new tyre, she told me to mind my own business. Then I said – well, go easy on it – these tyres are only temporary, so you can’t drive on it too fast or for too long. She told me not to tell her how to drive. As I headed away, she looked at the tyre on the car and accused me of stealing one of her tyres and replacing it with a skinny one of my own!

    16
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    Mute Alan Hayes
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:10 AM

    The Royal county are too Royal and the lilliwhites don’t want to get their sparkly white tops dirty. #UpTheDubs

    35
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    Mute Alan Hayes
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:21 PM

    Good to know its mostly culchies reading the Journal today. Could be because its Sunday,do they open their shops in the boglands of a Sunday yet? #UpTheDubs

    17
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    Mute Aisling McCrudden
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 2:27 PM

    Says the ban with his backside as his profile picture! Talking out of it too it seems.

    32
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    Mute Robert Murphy
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 3:03 PM

    Is that the dubs that are getting played off the pitch by Kildare????

    18
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    Mute olive tierney
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    Jan 23rd 2012, 4:47 AM

    @Alan. Kildare were not afraid to get there White jerseys dirty today when the bet the DUBS 6 Points, Happy days!!!! Come on the Lilliwhites :)

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    Mute Niall Sheridan
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:15 AM

    Frankly having seen Kildare drivers in action, they’re the worst I’ve ever seen in the world – and I’ve lived right across the world. I always avoid KE plated transportation!!

    34
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    Mute Alan J McGrath
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:55 PM

    In the world ,really ,where in the world have you been that has a better class of driver

    8
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    Mute eire2011
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:22 AM

    Kildare are too busy complaining about that FREE from the Dublin match last year to help anyone out!!!!

    30
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    Mute Paulie walnuts
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:59 AM

    Kildare drivers are too busy towing their horse boxes/egos around!!

    26
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    Mute tersarge
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:07 PM

    Kildare people are the best in the world.I should know,I lived in Dublin.Once.

    24
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    Mute Pa McGarry
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:22 AM

    Is it not the job of insurance companies to help stranded drivers, after all that’s why we pay sky high renewals……

    20
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    Mute Ciarán Reilly
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 1:52 PM

    I worked in Letterkenny for a while years ago. Donegal drivers and Donegal people in general are, in my view, way friendlier than anywhere else I’ve been.

    18
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    Mute eire2011
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:24 AM

    Kildare are too busy complaining about that FREE from dublin match last year to help anyone out!!!

    14
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    Mute Celly O'Brien
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:14 AM

    It may have something to do with the tiny twisting roads in some parts of Co Meath seriously there is no where to pull in on them I drove some of them last week and wondered what would happen if I had a breakdown

    12
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    Mute Sham McSham
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 11:51 AM

    Luckily, Donegal has no small twisty roads at all /s

    61
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    Mute Nell496
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 4:26 PM

    What a load of rubbish. I’m from Kildare but have been living in Dublin for many years. I have had KE and D number plates and had a Longford and Cork one also. To say someone avoids a number plate is a load of bs. Good and bad drivers, helpful and unhelpful drivers in EVERY County. It just happens that Kildare were FAR BETTER footballers in Newbridge today.

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    Mute eire2011
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 6:19 PM

    Oh well done. Ye won the semi final in the O’BYRNE cup. Wahoo!!!!!

    6
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    Mute Willie pearse
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 4:32 PM

    Donegal people are kinda extra nice. No bias here because I am a dub. Worse again a southsider.

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    Mute Alan J McGrath
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:50 PM

    Paul Stewart ,what a load of crap your speaking ,you even old enough to drive

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    Mute Paul Stewart
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 1:30 PM

    25 ..so yes! meh…i don’t talk crap, kildare people are probably still sore about that kevin cassidy point :)

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    Mute howzat
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 12:29 PM

    I never could tell I couldn’t afford a translator

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    Mute Dave McCarthy
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    Jan 22nd 2012, 1:31 PM

    Of course, because money talks and bullsh*t walks :-)

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