Dublin : Three years down the line, after the legalization of abortion laws in the Republic of Ireland, the government has decided to review the current scenario. The review will examine the effectiveness of the current laws and could result in further amendments to the act. The referendum held in 2018, which resulted in the repeal of the eighth amendment of the constitution with the support of 67% of the voters, deprived the rights of the unborn in the country.
The current laws permit clinical abortions to be carried out up to 12 weeks of pregnancy for any reason, when there is a risk to the life or a serious harm to the health of the pregnant woman, or when the foetus has a fatal condition where it is likely to die before or within 28 days of birth.
During the legislation process, the then Taoiseach, Mr. Leo Varadkar, promised that abortions would be “rare” in the country. Within a year after the legislation, 6,666 abortions were recorded in 2019 - more than double the number of abortions carried out in 2018, on 2,879 Irish women who sought for the procedure in Britain. The year 2020 followed by another 6,577 abortions summing to a total of 13, 243 abortions in just 2 years of the new regime. The shocking figures clearly prove that the government deceived its citizens by promising it to be a “rare” practice. Pro-life activists had foreseen these appalling outcomes of the legislation which is why voices were raised against the pro-abortionist ideologies.
Human life is sacred and precious. It must be respected and protected from the very moment of conception and recognized as a human being with rights. As Catholics, it is our duty and moral obligation to advocate for the rights of the unborn and urge the government to introduce policies that respect those rights.
As part of the three-year review, the minister for health, Stephen Donnelly, and the department of health has commenced a public consultation which invites the public, organizations, stakeholders, advocacy groups working in the area and all those who are interested to submit a review of the operation of the legislation. The submission is expected to be an analysis of the current laws, its effectiveness and shortcomings, along with proposals of amendments. The submissions will be accepted until 1st April 2022.
The abortion lobby is advocating for further amendments to the acts. “Legislation protecting the unborn from abortion beyond twelve weeks’ gestation must be scrapped”, a pro-abortionist group in Ireland stated. Currently, there is a three-day mandatory reflection period for women prior to carrying out abortion procedures which the pro-abortionists aspire to cease after the three-year review. In short, the pro-abortionist movement is strongly campaigning for a revised legislation where every right of the unborn will be deprived.
The pro-abortion campaign in 2018 stated that “repealing the 8th would make this a better, more caring, more compassionate country - especially for women”. Three years since the abortion regime started, this is clearly not the case. The demand for abortion in the country is increasing every day. A recent study conducted by the University College of Cork found out that late term abortions are happening in the state which the voters were promised would not happen. The babies undergoing these late term abortions are not even offered pain management and doctors are left begging for help if the baby survives a late term abortion.
Women are prescribed abortion pills to take at home and the HSE is reluctant to collect data of the outcomes of the abortion pills. There is no study conducted to ensure that abortion pills are safe to be taken at home without medical supervision. There is no information whether the women who took the pills managed safe abortions or if they developed any further complications. Horrifyingly, the HSE website advises women who have taken the pill at home to flush their baby's body down the toilet. There is absolutely no compassion or respect to the unborn.
Within just three months after the legislation, a completely healthy 15-week-old baby was aborted in the National Maternity Hospital when the doctors misdiagnosed the baby with a serious health condition. The pro-life activists always warned that babies with disabilities or special needs will be targeted after the introduction of abortion laws. Sadly, it has been proven to be true and further amendments to the act would ensure that babies with disabilities or special need will be deprived of the right to life.
The ongoing three-year review is probably the last chance that will be offered to raise our voices against a complete approval of abortion in our country. It is the time to act; to urge the government to value and protect the life of the unborn. It is our responsibility to ensure that this emerald island will not be a land of dead babies without graves. As Mother Teresa once said, "Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants."