Family & Life is an Irish anti abortion organisation founded in 1996.
Foundation
Family & Life were founded out of a split with the Irish branch of Human Life International in September 1996 by David Manly (1996–present), Peter Scully (1996–2001) and three other individuals over alleged interference by its American headquarters.[2][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 a number of directors received an undisclosed sum from Human Life International.
Work
According to its website,[3][1] Family & Life seeks to establish what it calls a 'Culture of Life'.
The group views itself as supporting projects which promote the sanctity of all human life. Family & Life is also a supporter of the institution of marriage as the basis of family life, upholding a social conservative rather than a social liberal view of society. 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 non-profit organisation registered in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The organisation focuses on, and develops educational and research approaches to communicate its mission.
SIPO ruled that this did not count as a political donation that the politicians had to declare.[6] Family & Life are registered with SIPO to receive donations for political purposes,[7] but they were not required by law to be registered at the time of the trip,[8]
Alignment
Initially, the new organisation, continuing from the stance of HLI, aligned itself with the Youth Defence wing of the anti-abortion movement in Ireland. A co-founder of Family & Life, Peter Scully was PRO for Youth Defence in 1992.[9]
However, during the 2002 abortion referendum, it supported the proposals of the Fianna Fáil government against abortion in Ireland.[10][11] Youth Defence opposed it, claiming that it did not go far enough in protecting the unborn.
In 1995, there was a referendum on whether to allow divorce. Human Life International (Ireland), along with Family and Life co-founder Peter Scully, campaigned against the legalisation of divorce. It was alleged that they received large amounts of free material and funding from the United States and their US parent organisation Human Life International.[15][16][17]
In 2005 the Irish government held hearings about changing the constitutional definition of the family. Family & Life provided written and oral submissions opposed to any legal recognition of same-sex marriage, calling it an "oxymoron", with founder David Manly claiming it could not exist. The group also highlighted the falling birth rate in Europe.[18]
^McTerinan, Anthea (22 September 1992). "US group sends shipment of 'pro-life' materials here". The Irish Times. p. 2. Mr Peter Scully, public relations officer of Youth Defence
^Coulter, Carol (19 February 2002). "Bishops' Yes campaign biggest outside Government". It is an off-shoot of a group called Family and Life, which came into existence about the time of the divorce referendum, and is led by Mr Peter Scully. [...] They will send leaflets to every house, and will have door-to-door canvassers seeking a Yes vote.
^Family & Life (8 March 2002). ""A victory but only for the Confused"". Archived from the original on 10 September 2002. A spokesman for the Pro-Life Movement expressed profound disappointment at the rejection of the anti-abortion referendum. He described the result as a blow to pro-life movement worldwide.
^"Taoiseach appeals for Yes vote to usher in tolerant society". The Irish Times. 23 November 1995. p. 1. the role they said was being played by Huamn Life International in the No divorce campaign.
^de Bréadún, Deaglán (27 November 1995). "President, rain and the media all take a bashing from No activists". The Irish Times. p. 8. Peter Scully, of the No Divorce Campaign
^Cleary, Catherine; Coulter, Carol (22 November 1995). "Shatter claims US fundamentalists fund No campaign". The Irish Times. p. 6. The fax is alleged to have been written by Mr Peter Scully of the No Divorce Campaign, who is named as executive director of HLI Ireland
^"About Us | Mothers and Fathers Matter". Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017. Dr Thomas Finegan. Thomas publishes in the areas of areas of human rights law and legal and moral philosophy, and is a public policy advisor to Family & Life.
^The Secular Society (11 October 2012). "X-Case/Abortion Public Talk with Clare Daly T.D & Sen. Ronan Mullen". Facebook. Sen. Ronan Mullen has had to cancel, a last minute-cancellation. He is sending his Parliamentary Assistant Tom Finnegan. He's a PHD candidate in the area of medicine in Trinity College Dublin and will give a robust proposal of the Pro-Life Argument!
^"Keeping It in the Family". Broadsheet.ie. 11 April 2014. Dr Tom Finegan, was Ronan Mullen's previous Parliamentary Assistant, as evidenced at this Facebook acknowledgement