“Experiences like this are a reminder of the importance of not hanging up our boots and going home”
During these last few weeks we have witnessed the steamrolling power of a political majority in the Dáil as they resisted even the most basic, humane and compassionate amendments to the abortion Bill.
Amendments that would have guaranteed pain relief for unborn babies during late-term abortions – amendments that would have shown some respect to the unborn child and avoided the terrible spectacle of small bodies being disposed in hospital or abortion clinic ‘waste’ – amendments that sought to give women all the information they needed to make a truly informed decision and so avoid the bitter regret that many have experienced after their abortion.
But these and all the other reasonable amendments were rejected by the Government. As well as revealing a cold disregard for human life, it also shows how fearful politicians are about the truth getting out regarding the horror of their new abortion law.
The pro-life amendments shone a bright light on all this. Not surprisingly, they were attacked and ridiculed by pro-abortion TDs, not because of what they would have achieved but because of what they exposed about the new law.
For this, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the brave group of Oireachtas members who stood firm in proposing and defending the amendments as they were taunted and mocked in the media and by some of their colleagues. It was a privilege working closely with these TDs as they spoke up for life and represented each one of us in Leinster House.
Experiences like this are a reminder of the importance of not hanging up our boots and going home. This is the very time when we must push back even harder against the darkness of the Government’s extreme abortion law.
The fact that hundreds of GPs and other healthcare professionals have made it known that they will not take part in the delivery of the new abortion ‘service’ will have huge implications for the roll-out of the new law. It’s inevitable that the full force of the law will be used against some of these brave friends. We must stand in solidarity with them every step of the way so that the call for freedom of conscience protections grows louder and louder until it is delivered.
In addition to these important issues, there are other critical areas where a powerful impact can be made and that urgently needs our attention.
Education
Sadly, as we know, the pro-abortion sentiment is extremely strong on university campuses. In 2017, 1,565 abortions were performed on Irish women aged 18-30. That is 50.61% of all Irish abortions carried out on young women of college age.
Our ‘Campus Education Project’ exists to assist and encouragement young pro-life people on campus. With your help, we can grow and grow this initiative. It can save lives by encouraging alternatives to abortion and change hearts and minds. But we cannot roll it out properly without your help.
Media
We know the single biggest challenge to the pro-life side during the recent referendum was the way the media closed ranks to convince the public not to trust the No side.
We are still actively researching concrete new ways to address the issue of media bias. But without delay, we plan to produce two high quality online videos on this same theme, to target key age groups early in the New Year.
Mobilisation of the faith communities
The RTÉ Exit Poll on the day of the referendum showed that a significant number of Mass-going Catholics voted Yes. While the pro-life message unites people of all faiths and none, those with an active Christian faith are often to the forefront in defending the right to life.
For this reason, it’s vital that faith communities encounter the pro-life message regularly. To ensure this happens, we plan to restart our successful Volunteer Church Talk Programme in January 2019 to reach people with a new post-referendum message. We already have the cooperation of many faith leaders. All we need now are the financial resources to coordinate the effort nationwide.
The sacrifices that people made for the pro-life cause in recent years, financial and otherwise, have been truly immense.
And in the aftermath of the referendum, these are particularly challenging times. But to save lives, fight for freedom of conscience, grow the pro-life movement in colleges, expose the extreme and inhumane reality of the new law, we must continue our work with vigour, hope and a steely resolve.
We always do our utmost to keep running costs to a minimum, out of respect for donors and to ensure every contribution makes a difference.
Since the referendum, our resources are completely drained. We would be most grateful therefore for any financial assistance you can provide so we can do the work that needs to be done. You can donate here
Thank you for continuing to support us. We wish you and yours every good wish for Christmas and good health and happiness in 2019
Pro Life Campaign