Irish bishops have urged Massgoers to change the narrative around abortion, five years on from the referendum that removed the constitutional guarantee to life of unborn children. Source: The Tablet.
In a message delivered at Masses, they said they remain convinced that the legislation which introduced abortion following the referendum in May 2018 will, in due course, be repealed.
“No matter what legislation is passed, the fundamental right to life for all human beings at every stage of development still prevails,” the bishops said.
They pledged to do their best to change the narrative through dialogue and by “testifying, in season and out of season, to the Gospel of Life”.
They continued: “Today, we reaffirm our conviction that the innate dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, is a value for the whole of society, rooted in reason as well as in faith.”
The bishops also criticised the recent review of abortion law, commissioned by the Irish Government and carried out by barrister Marie O’Shea.
The review’s recommendations, the bishops warn, “are clearly aimed at making the act more effective in the taking of human life”.
They reject the recommendation that the mandatory three-day waiting period become optional. They also reject extending the 12-week period during which abortion can take place for any reason.
Almost 90 per cent of GPs do not participate in the provision of abortion. It is unclear how many decline on grounds of conscience, but the bishops said that it was “almost certainly much higher than the 26 per cent suggested in the review”.
Over the three-year period covered by the review (2019-2021), almost 18,000 pregnancies ended in abortion.
FULL STORY
Irish Catholics urged to change narrative around abortion (By Sarah Mac Donald, The Tablet)
