The Pro Life Campaign has called on the Oireachtas to investigate RTE over its abortion coverage after a Prime Time special was deemed a “new low” [1].
“The time for editorial accountability from RTÉ has long since passed. It’s time for programmes like ‘RTÉ Investigates’ to take a step back to give way for an Oireachtas investigation into RTÉ itself – over its non-existent editorial standards when it comes to issues like abortion,” it said in a statement.
Monday night’s program dealt with how pro-life pregnancy counselling agencies deal with pregnant women and featured an interview with, Barrister Marie O’Shea, who had conducted a mandated review of the abortion law on behalf of the Government. She called for removing the few remaining restrictions and decriminalising abortion entirely. [2]
In a move timed to coincide with the program, a coalition of women’s, doctors’ and human rights groups released an open letter [3] calling for the same broad set of changes to the law.
In advance of the program, the Pro-Life Campaign had questioned whether the presentation would be balanced [4], asking if it would air numerous scandals that have plagued the new regime or the massive increase in abortion numbers.
By Monday night, they released a new statement calling the program “highly partisan and sensationalised” [1].