The Irish Family Planning Association has been accused of "scaremongering" for supporting the legal challenge by three women opposing Ireland's abortion laws in a case before the European Court of Human Rights.

The women's lawyers at the one day hearing in Strasbourg yesterday said that forcing women to travel abroad for abortions could endanger "health and wellbeing" as safeguarded by the Human Rights Convention.

If successful, the challenge could overturn our constitutional right to unconditionally protect the life of the unborn.

Essential

Pro-Life campaigners, who reject the women's claim, have hit out at the IFPA for supporting the case.

After the hearing, Dr Berry Kiely of the Pro-Life Campaign said: "The IFPA knows full well that pregnant women in Ireland receive essential medical treatment.

"Any statement to the contrary is without foundation in fact and is tantamount to scaremongering. They know, too, that Ireland is a world leader in maternal safety in pregnancy.

"If the IFPA were genuinely concerned about women's health and wellbeing, they would be offering reassurance that essential treatment is already provided here rather than setting out to foster a false picture of Ireland as a place where the absence of induced abortion puts lives at risk.

"Ultimately this debate is about the kind of society we want and whether or not we believe pregnant women and their unborn children should be welcomed in life, protected in law and given the best medical treatment to protect their mental and physical health and wellbeing. The IFPA may well couch its arguments in human rights language but in reality it seeks to deny the first and most important human right, the right to life."

The women at the centre of the landmark hearing are claiming that the lack of induced abortion here is putting their health at risk and causing unnecessary hardship and costs.

The legal action began in 2005 when they complained that the pro-life Irish law breached Human Right Convention guarantees of the "right to respect for private and family life", their "right to life", the "prohibition of discrimination" and "prohibition of torture".

The three -- only known as A, B and C -- will have to wait until next year for a ruling after the hearing.

If they win their case, abortion laws here may have to be adjusted to take account of the health and wellbeing of pregnant women.

csheehy@herald.ie

- Clodagh Sheehy