Irish court rules constitution does not protect embryos outside womb

Published: 2006-11-17

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) -- The Irish Constitution's protection of the unborn does not cover embryos outside the womb, ruled the High Court in Dublin. In its Nov. 15 ruling, the High Court rejected the case of a woman seeking to have three frozen embryos released to her against the wishes of her estranged husband. The court ruled that the constitutional protection given to the unborn did not apply to embryos that were frozen or in vitro. The woman had argued that under the Irish Constitution her embryos had a right to life. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin expressed concerns about the decision. "From a first consideration of the judgment, it would appear that the decision casts doubt concerning the level of protection which the constitution affords to human life at its earliest stages," the archbishop said in a statement. "It is to be hoped that this issue will receive full consideration in any eventual appeal to the Supreme Court and that the general protection of every human life at all stages of its development will be vindicated."

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