Youth protest against abortion outside European court Strasbourg, - A youth vigil was held this morning outside the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, as the court considered a challenge to Ireland's constitutional protection of unborn children.

Young people representing Ireland, the UK, France, Germany,

Italy, Hungary, and Romania held placards outside the court reading: "Europe needs children not abortion", "Hands off Ireland's pro-life laws" and "Abortion kills children".

The vigil was organised by Liam Gibson, organiser of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) in Northern Ireland.

The court is considering the A, B,&C v Ireland case, which the Irish pro-abortion lobby is using to claim that Ireland's ban on abortion violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

One of the youth taking part in the vigil, Olivier Jarry from France, said outside the court: "Ireland is one of the only countries to have resisted abortion. The people of Ireland have voted against abortion, yet now there is a danger that the European institutions will change Ireland's constitution." Another youth, Anne-Catherine Kegelin, also of France, said: "No one has the right to kill another innocent person. We are demonstrating for human rights in front of the human rights building. There can be no rights if there is not the right to life. All rights depend on the right to life. There is no difference between a grandfather of 90 and an unborn child, only time." Katy Robinson, Rebecca Roughneen and Sorcha Nic Mhathuna of Ireland's Youth Defence, said: "We travelled to Strasbourg to represent the majority of Irish people who are pro-life and who don't want abortion in Ireland. This issue should be decided upon by the Irish people and not imposed undemocratically by a European court. We stand here in solidarity with the children whose lives are threatened by the possible outcome of the court's ruling."

Liam Gibson of SPUC Northern Ireland commented: "No treaty or convention has ever recognised access to abortion as a human right. Article 2 of the European Convention protects the right to life. While it does not specifically prohibit abortion, it would be turning the convention on its head to argue that it provides a right to kill through abortion. Every abortion discriminates against an unborn human being." A joint submission to the court by SPUC and other concerned groups can be read at