Pro-life group ‘looks forward to tackling’ Sinn Fein again

Catherine Sewell of the Tyrone Pro-Life Network believes Sinn Fein in Tyrone is “terrified” of a voter backlash come the local government election this year and says the party is seeking to use a Catholic church parochial hall in Moy this Saturday to mitigate its stance on abortion in the eyes of the electorate.

Sinn Fein is “one of the richest” parties in Ireland with numerous properties of its own that it could use, she claimed. “If it wants to hold a clinic in the Moy it can well afford to hire a commercial venue. The selection of a Catholic Hall is as sinister as it is cynical.”

She believes that Sinn Fein is “trying to align itself with the Catholic Church in the public eye in order to somehow mitigate their abortion stance”. She added: “Being seen to care about voter issues from a Catholic Parochial Hall is all part of the plan.

“This stunt is going to backfire on them. Last year we publicly confronted Sinn Féin on their abortion policy on a number of occasions and they ran for cover every time. We’re looking forward to tackling them again in the Moy and we’ll have a few extra surprises in store”.

Ms Sewell said she suspects Sinn Féin of “hoodwinking” the local parish priest by giving an assurance that they would not discuss abortion inside the hall.

“How ridiculous is that? It misses the point entirely. As a matter of fact we want Sinn Féin to explain it’s abortion policy to the public so that people can be shocked at what they stand for in reality. Rest assured that abortion will be the only issue debated at the clinic on Saturday”, she added.

Sinn Fein moved substantially on abortion last year to adopt a pro-choice position, while the Catholic church remains pro-life. However both Sinn Fein and the Catholic church declined to offer any response to Ms Sewell.