Family & Life
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| Formation | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Type | Anti-abortion religious lobby group |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
|
Spokesperson
|
David Manly |
| Website | [1] |
Family & Life is a Catholic Irish anti-abortion organisation founded in 1998.
Contents
Foundation
Family & Life were founded out of a split with the Irish branch of Human Life International in late 1996 by Peter Scully and David Manly over alleged interfence by its American headquarters.[1] HLI then sought an injunction in the High Court to seize the offices in Family and Life's headquarters. In the end, the case was settled out of court, the offices were kept and Scully received an undisclosed sum from HLI.
Work
According to its website,[2] Family & Life seeks to establish what it calls a 'Culture of Life'.
It claims to develop and supports projects which it considers to promote the sanctity of all human life. Family & Life is also engaged in supporting a conservative view of the family based on marriage. They say they provide support for pregnant women, although this excludes abortion counselling, and that they help children in vulnerable situations.
Family & Life fundraises direct from supporters in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It says it is not affiliated to any other organisation and does not receive state, organizational or corporate funding or engage in street collections, lotteries or the for-profit sale of goods. It is a registered charity in the UK. The organisation focuses on, and develops educational and research approaches to communicate its mission.
Alignment
Initially, the new organisation, continuing from the stance of HLI, aligned itself with the Youth Defence wing of the anti-abortion movement. However, during the 2002 abortion referendum, it supported the proposals of the Fianna Fáil government to tighten Ireland's abortion restrictions.[3] Youth Defence opposed it, claiming that it did not go far enough in protecting the unborn.
