By Rob McNamara

Fathers’ rights organisation Fathers4Justice (F4J) is to enter the debate around the Eighth Amendment with a media campaign calling for the recognition and protection of the rights of the father in relation to the unborn child.

The campaign poster features a picture of a man cradling a newborn child with the words ‘a father is for life not just conception’ above a ‘Change The 8th’ logo.

The campaign runs for six weeks on Bus Eireann single decker buses in Cork from December 5 before being rolled out across the country.

Said F4J founder Matt O’Connor, “It takes a man and a woman to create a child, yet there is no recognition of this in the constitution. We want it to be amended to give adequate protection to the rights of the father.”

“If there is a referendum on the eighth amendment, the question of the rights of the father needs to be considered. Why should dads be given no choice when it comes to the unborn child?”

“Fathers are held financially liable and emotionally responsible if the baby is born, they are expected to love and nurture their children, yet they are expected to remain silent if an unborn child is aborted without their knowledge or consent.”