Pubdate: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 Source: Examiner, The (Ireland) Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 1998 Author: Denis Lehane BRUTON REJECTS YOUNG FG ABORTION MOVE FINE GAEL leader John Bruton moved swiftly, yesterday, to dissociate himself from the party's youth wing after its national conference voted on Saturday to pledge itself to campaign for the next 18 months for legalised abortion within the first trimester. But he could be facing trouble because his press office refused point-blank to repudiate policy changes calling for the legalisation of cannabis and the decriminalisation and Government regulation of prostitution. The refusal to reject the youth wing policy on cannabis was made in the context that earlier in the day a director of a major European anti-drugs project had called on Deputy Bruton to make a clear statement dissociating himself from it. "I'm calling on John Bruton to make a statement, a fair and straight declaration repudiating the decision of the young members of his party on legalising cannabis," Con O'Leary, the Irish director of the European Cities Against Drugs group, said. "I am totally opposed to this move. There are no such things as soft drugs. Everybody who is fighting against drugs will be opposed to this decision." It seems inconceivable that the party press office's refusal to put on the record a public repudiation of the policy changes by Young Fine Gael on drugs and prostitution genuinely reflects Deputy Bruton's views in favour of either. But until the deputy makes his position clear that, technically, could be the interpretation which we should make. The party press office was told that by rushing to dissociate himself swiftly from the policy change on abortion, but saying nothing on drugs and prostitution, Deputy Bruton seemed to be signalling that he was in favour of the last two. "Young Fine Gael is an independent organisation and we have no comment to make on its decisions to legalise cannabis and prostitution," the press spokesperson said. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and the European Cities Against Drugs did, however, criticise Young Fine Gael, while a Catholic bishop said that the Church's position on all three issues was clear. The title of the conference - The Just Society: Setting a New Agenda - was perhaps indicative of the sort of radical left-liberal agenda which the well-healed overwhelmingly middle and upper-class delegates espouse. All three of the policy commitments were carried with comfortable majorities. On abortion, only proposals to have abortion on demand in the first trimester or for when there might be a partial risk to the health or life of the mother were rejected. They voted for abortion in the first trimester where there is a real and substantive risk to the life or health of the mother and where the child has been conceived through rape or incest. Fine Gael National Youth Officer - a paid position attached to Fine Gael headquarters - Joanne Harmon, said she was pleased by the decisions taken and said that she did not expect any criticism from the party as a whole. However, John Bruton made a clear and emphatic statement, yesterday, dissociating himself from the Young Fine Gael policy on abortion. "No, I don't agree with it," he said. "If you have abortion in these circumstances, you effectively have abortion on demand." He said that in every other country where such provisions had existed which called for a psychological evaluation of the mother, the result was that abortion became a routine matter. That is not the right way to go," he said. "An unborn child is an unborn child. It is not a thing, it is a person. I believe that very strongly. You cannot deny the existence of the unborn child. A child is a person who should be allowed to live. We should not be making decisions to terminate their lives." Dr Mary Lucey, the president of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, attacked the move on abortion, but praised Deputy Bruton's swift move to dissociate himself from it. "We would deplore the position taken by Young Fine Gael and would hope that with more maturity they will change their minds," she said. The Bishop of Killaloo, Dr William Walsh, said that the position of the Catholic Church on all three issues was clear and that any comment would be made in the light of the Church's teaching. - --- Checked-by: derek rea