On Wednesday, during a Dáil debate on the Government’s ‘exclusion zones’ bill, Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik recalled that her party’s slogan during the 2018 abortion referendum campaign was “For Compassion in a Crisis”. She praised the changes that have occurred since the referendum and how far we’ve come from the days when a campaigner like herself “was threatened with prison just for giving women a phone number of a clinic in England.”
There was no reality to most of the claims Deputy Bacik made about the past and she appears to have completely missed the irony of condemning the censorship of pro-abortion literature as she stood in the Dáil warmly welcoming a bill that actually contains custodial sentences and hefty fines for pro-life people who distribute literature or hold silent peaceful vigils close to abortion facilities.
Deputy Bacik’s speech was littered with caricatures and clichés about the pro-life movement. She has the luxury of making outrageous and misleading claims, safe in the knowledge that the Fourth Estate will never challenge her or ask her to explain how the new abortion law is “founded on empathy and compassion” when it permits the rampant taking of innocent human life and doesn’t even provide for precautionary pain relief to be given to unborn babies before late-term abortions.
It is important that we take note of interventions like Deputy Bacik’s latest one and circulate the pro-life response to family and friends on social media.
Take the recent example of Deputy Peadar Tóibín challenging the Chair of the abortion review, Marie O’Shea, for recommending scrapping the three-day wait without ever speaking to any of the nearly 4,000 women who didn’t opt for an abortion after the three-day wait. The admission O’Shea was forced to make would never have been widely known had people not shared the clip of the exchange on social media. In the end, the Taoiseach was forced to comment on the matter following the public outcry over O’Shea making such a sweeping recommendation without taking account of the compelling evidence showing the positive impact of the three-day period of reflection.
We shouldn’t resign ourselves to doing nothing just because the media gives a free pass all the time to our opponents. There’s so much we can do to get the word out about the truth of what’s happening, via social media and through word of mouth. The efforts pro-life volunteers are already making in this regard is having a noticeably positive impact.
Thanks to all those who attended our recent workshops on effectively engaging with politicians. We are very encouraged with the number of people who are actively engaged and interested in meeting their politicians with their concerns around the extreme recommendations contained in the recent Abortion Review Report and the recent Second Reading vote in favour of the People Before Profit Private Members Bill calling for more abortion.
Summer 2023 is a really important time for us to engage with our politicians and remind them that the referendum promises of ‘rare’ abortions must not be forgotten.
Please take a moment to get involved in this Humanity Campaign over the coming weeks by opting to join our workshop on 12th July. You can register instantly below.
Remember even the smallest effort will make a big difference.
Thank you!
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly told the Dáil on Wednesday that all 19 maternity units in Ireland will be carrying out abortions by early 2024
Up until now, 8 maternity hospitals had fought attempts to force them to perform abortions after the law changed in 2019. The Government has pressed ahead with trying to recruit staff to these hospitals who will give a specific undertaking to carry out terminations.
Minister Donnelly provided the update to the Dáil during a debate on the Government’s bill on so-called ‘Safe Access Zones’. Every utterance he made during Wednesday’s debate was designed to curry favour with the pro-abortion movement. He made no reference to the massive increase in abortions over the past year, leading to a situation where for every seven babies born in Ireland today, one baby now has his or her life ended through abortion.
A fortnight ago, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar publicly expressed concern about Ireland’s soaring abortion rate. It is hard to take the Taoiseach’s words seriously when the Minister for Health in his government is constantly making decisions and issuing statements that will undoubtedly lead to more not fewer abortions taking place.
Map provisionally shows the areas of Dublin City Centre where 100 metre exclusion zones would apply.
On Wednesday, the Government’s so-called “Safe Access Zones” Bill was debated at second stage in the Dáil. The debate was almost exclusively one-sided with representatives from Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats engaging in self-congratulatory back-slapping. Quite often the contents of the Bill were not discussed, with some TDs such as Ivana Bacik trailing into discussing a highly distorted version of events from over 30 years ago.
The sole contributor to the debate who raised any issues of substance was Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West, Éamon Ó Cuív. Deputy Ó Cuív, a well-respected parliamentarian of many years and a former cabinet minister, has regularly articulated the pro-life viewpoint in the Dáil. On this occasion, he raised several important insights into the flaws associated with the exclusion zones legislation, which would criminalise any pro-life activity within 100 metres of all GP clinics, hospitals and ‘family planning’ centres in the country.
He raised the pertinent issue of the impact exclusion zones legislation on large-scale public events like the annual March for Life. The law would prohibit anyone’s ability to take any action (including by speaking) which may influence someone’s decision whether or not to have an abortion. Deputy Ó Cuív observed “whole idea of protest is trying to persuade people.”
As a map (above) recently tweeted by the Pro Life Campaign clearly shows that large areas of Dublin City Centre would become no-go areas for pro-life supporters, including major streets like O’Connell Street. This map has now been viewed by 35,000 people on Twitter. Deputy Ó Cuív queried “What does the law say about protest marches going past baby hospitals and clinics, with protesters holding up banners telling people to protect human life and not to have an abortion?”
The Dáil debate will resume on Wednesday 12th July, where it is hoped more TDs will raise the massive implications this law has for civil liberties and freedom of expression.
A new study of the impact of Texas’ heartbeat law published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University suggests that nearly 10,000 babies are alive today due to the pro-life law.
Between April-December 2022, it was found that 9,799 more births were recorded since the law came into effect. The study’s PI, Dr Alison Gemmill, observed “Although our study doesn’t detail why these extra births occurred, our findings strongly suggest that a considerable number of pregnant individuals in Texas were unable to overcome barriers to abortion access.”
However, the study framed the findings as a case of women being essentially “denied” an abortion. One researcher said “abortion bans have real implications for birthing people, thousands of whom may have had no choice but to continue an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy to term.” Despite this framing, a separate major study finds that 98% of women who were denied an abortion and kept the baby reported they were glad they were refused it by the child’s 5th birthday. The 2% minority also included "unsure” answers. Meanwhile, 85% of those who kept the baby but placed the child for adoption reported they were glad they were denied the abortion.
Both studies demonstrate that pro-life laws are effective in keeping the abortion rate down and in saving lives. Moreover, in the period after the child is born, a woman who may have initially felt aggrieved at being “denied” an abortion changes her mind and expresses gladness that she didn’t have the abortion.
Since the overturning of Roe v Wade last year, Texas now has far more advanced pro-life laws than the heartbeat laws. Elective abortions are now prohibited in Texas, alongside 14 other states.
The seventh annual Ceiliúradh Cois Life Dinner for Pro-Life Education will take place in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4 on Saturday, September 9th 2023 at 7:00pm.
Join us for an evening of celebration, live music, great company and dancing! Not only will this event be an opportunity to introduce more people to the pro-life cause, but it’s also a fantastic occasion to reunite with friends and fellow volunteers.
Our guest speaker this year is Lord David Alton. A leading human rights defender, David Alton has been a consistent voice for the oppressed and marginalised since he began his political career in Britain in 1979. First elected as a Liberal MP for a Liverpool constituency, he now sits as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. And as always, this event is supported by our own Senator Rónán Mullen.
It is sure to be an uplifting and enjoyable evening and the proceeds of the dinner will ensure that the vital education and support work of the Pro Life Campaign can continue — including running educational programmes for young people in the pro-life movement on college campuses and through the Future Leaders Programme and assisting new mothers and those with unplanned pregnancy with practical items and support.
The price of a table of ten is €1,500. Individual tickets are €150 each. If you would like to join us on the evening, you can purchase your ticket(s) instantly below. Please note if you wish to reserve tickets/a table and pay later or use a form of payment other than credit card payment, please email [email protected]
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you there!
We are delighted to announce a really exciting and fun upcoming event specifically designed for young people interested in the pro life cause. This programme is tailored towards 18 to 26 year olds who are interested in having a fun week during the summer, meeting other pro life young people and participating in some life affirming outreach activities.
This outreach programme brings young pro-lifers together from across the country for a week starting Monday 24th July and finishing on Sunday 30th July.
The tour will be travelling through a number of towns and villages, hosting meetings, participating in the LoveBoth 5K Your Way to raise money for mothers in need along with meeting local pro-life advocates. There will also be fun entertainment activities provided.
Drivers, Accommodation and food providers needed - Can you help?
We are looking for help with providing accommodation, meals and transport in Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Sligo, and Mayo during the tour. If you are in a position to help with any of these things, please contact us here and we will be in touch.
We are putting out a call for anyone in possession of any documents, photographs, correspondence, etc. relevant to the Irish pro-life movement throughout the decades. We are particularly keen to receive anything in your possession related to periods such as the 1983 referendum. A comprehensive history of the pro-life movement is yet to be written, but the historians of the future will need primary sources. We are asking for people to get in touch with the Pro Life Campaign if they possess such material (no matter how old or dusty!) to ensure it is preserved now and not lost to the ages.
Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. We hope you and your families are keeping well in these unusual times. This email is to update you on what we have been working on recently, including news stories, project updates, and details of upcoming events. If you want to get in touch with us please do so by emailing [email protected]
