Data on abortion expenditure revealed in a parliamentary question to Carol Nolan TD allows one to see that in 2022, there were payments equivalent to 10,588 initial consultations for an abortion. Data also received by the HSE stated there were 8,876 claims by doctors for abortions performed in the same year. Therefore, one can tell that there must have been 1,712 cases where initial consultations were never followed through.
This tallies with data in previous years, which has consistently shown that annually approximately a thousand or so women make an initial consultation but don’t proceed to the second and final abortion appointment.
In the first six months of 2023, there was expenditure on first consultation claims with tallies to 6,084 individual first appointments. From the same data, we recently revealed there had been expenditure equivalent to 5,052 abortions. This means that until June 2023, there have been 1,032 first consultations which didn’t result in an abortion.
It can now be estimated that from January 2019 until June 2023, there have been nearly 6,700 such cases of first consultations which didn’t result in a final abortion appointment. Not each of these cases will have been women who changed their minds; some may have had an abortion in a hospital, went abroad due to their pregnancy exceeding 12 weeks gestation, or miscarried. However, it is unreasonable for critics of the three-day wait to suggest that these factors explain away the significance of this mammoth figure of 6,700 in four and a half years.
The three-day period for reflection has been much maligned by activists, who only ever receive softball questions in the media. A fair-minded journalist would ask those who favour scrapping the three-day waiting period what they have to say about the fact that thousands of women have availed of the three-day waiting period and opted to continue with their pregnancy. Unfortunately, these important questions are not being asked in the media.
On Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled by a 4-to-1 vote that the ‘heartbeat’ law enacted in the state in 2023 does not violate the state’s constitutional right to privacy. It overrides a decision of the same court from last year that reached the opposite conclusion. The state’s heartbeat law prohibits abortion after the detection of a foetal heartbeat.
Justice John Kittredge who wrote the majority opinion said:
“The legislature has made a policy determination that, at a certain point in the pregnancy, a woman’s interest in autonomy and privacy does not outweigh the interest of the unborn child to live. As a Court, unless we can say that the balance struck by the legislature was unreasonable as a matter of law, we must uphold the Act.”
“[T]he legislature has found that the State has a compelling interest in protecting the lives of unborn children. That finding is indisputable and one we must respect,” the majority opinion added.While the law enacted last year protects unborn babies from the point a foetal heartbeat is detected, it also includes are a number of grounds where abortion remains legal, like in the case of a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.
Responding to this week’s court ruling, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Denise Harle:
“All human life is worth protecting, and the people of South Carolina have been eager to affirm life and prevent the obvious harms that abortion causes women and their children. Now, with this decision from the South Carolina Supreme Court, the state can affirm that life is a human right, just as it should following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs. We commend the South Carolina Legislature and Gov. McMaster for enacting a pro-life law that relies on sound medical science and statistical evidence, which shows that a detectable foetal heartbeat reliably and overwhelmingly predicts a healthy live birth. The state’s high court was right to uphold this law, which is critical for protecting mothers and their unborn babies.”
It’s tremendous to see court rulings like the South Carolina one but pro-life people should be under no illusion that the fight for life in the US or anywhere else is going to get any easier. While we need to celebrate any pro-life victories that will save the lives of unborn babies, we need to stay alert as well to the fact that the pro-abortion movement has no intention of putting the brakes on its clamour for abortion.
Pro-life volunteers need to accept that and realise that we are in this battle for the long haul. It’s going to involve small victories from time to time and its share of setbacks. By facing this reality head on and never giving up hope, we will hasten the day when big victories start to happen once again.
Baby Brooklen, born prematurely at 24 weeks, was just 9 inches long and weighed only 9 ounces. The footage here of her fight to survive is really touching and an inescapable reminder of the value, beauty and fragility of human life. Thanks to LiveAction for posting the video and to Brooklen’s father Trever for sharing it with the world!
A new poll published by Ipsos/Global Advisor surveyed attitudes to abortion across 29 countries. As part of its findings, the survey notably revealed that support for abortion was lowest, on average, among the Male Generation Z category (born between 1997-2012). A majority in this category did not agree with the statement that “abortion should be legal.”
Just 47% of male Gen Z agreed with this statement. For men, this shows a continual slide in support for abortion from a high point of 61% of “Baby Boomers” (1946-64) dropping to 53% of “Gen X” (1965-80), and 48% of “Millennials” (1981-96). This demonstrates a clear and steady drop in support for abortion globally among men in the younger generations.
For women, the trend is less positive, but Gen Z women are still slightly less supportive of abortion (61%) than their Baby Boomer counterparts. 57% of female Gen X and Millennials indicated their support for legal abortion. Less than a decade ago polls on abortion consistently showed more women than men opposed to abortion. Aside from the latest Ipsos/Global Advisor survey, there have been other indicators in recent years that women no longer held a strong lead in opposition to abortion over men. It’s reasonable to posit that the thing most likely to have contributed to this shift in support is the massive and sustained campaigns globally calling abortion “healthcare” and dishonestly claiming that pro-life laws endanger women’s lives.
The results of the latest survey nonetheless are noteworthy as Baby Boomers are considered by many to be the “most conservative” generation, whereas they are in fact the generation most in favour of abortion.
By contrast, less than half of male Millennials and Gen Z think abortion should be legal. Even among those who agreed that abortion should be legal, a large proportion still support restrictions on legal abortion.
Overall, the results are heartening as they point, on average, to a global decrease in support for legal abortion among the younger generations. Read the survey in full here
Our annual National Conference this year will take place on Saturday, 14th October 2023 in the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin 4.
The main theme of the conference is 'Growing the Pro-Life vote, Bringing about change at election time' and underlines our focus on getting more public representatives elected who will speak up courageously for human rights, for the right to life of unborn children and for care and support for women in unplanned pregnancy.
We are delighted to announce our keynote speaker Obianuju Ekeocha.
Obianuju Ekeocha is a highly respected and well known pro-life advocate on the international stage. She has 135,000 followers on Twitter (X), which gives an indication of the reach and impact she is having. She is the founder of Culture of Life Africa, an initiative dedicated to improving maternal healthcare services for women, while fighting against Western governments who commit vast sums of money for abortion and population control in African countries - something she appropriately describes as "ideological colonisation".
Seating for the event is limited - so don’t delay, register today below to attend the conference!
Stay tuned for updates on speakers in the coming weeks but for now, click below to register. See you there!
With the Oireachtas adjourned for the summer, it presents a perfect opportunity to approach your local TDs and Senators and urge them to reintroduce some humanity into the debate on abortion. The Three-Year Review, a seriously flawed process which produced a one-sided and extreme report, will be considered by politicians in the autumn. It’s important that we take action over the summer.
We have produced a quick and easy Virtual Postcard for you to sign, which will automatically send an email to your local TDs. Use the button below to navigate into your county on our website and find your constituency.
It’s also important to have meetings with your TDs. These can be as simple as dropping into your local TD’s advice clinic to outline your concerns. Click below to register to lobby your local TDs. Don’t worry – we’ll help you every step of the way with advice on making the appointment to points you might consider raising.
We are heartened by the number of people actively involved and interested in meeting their politicians to express their views. The People Before Profit Bill which regrettably passed at 2nd stage of the Dáil on 31st May must also be countered. Even the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has said this Bill goes far beyond the recommendations of the Three-Year Review – which are already extreme in their own right.
During Summer 2023, it is crucial to engage with our politicians and remind them not to overlook the referendum promises. We need to fight to ensure our abortion policy is aimed at reducing the abortion rate.
Please take a moment to get involved in the Humanity Campaign. Remember even the smallest effort will make a big difference.
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 David Alton, Lord Alton of Liverpool. David Alton has been a consistent defender of human rights and human dignity since he first entered politics in his early twenties. He stood as a Liberal Party candidate and was elected to Liverpool City Council in 1972, becoming Britain's youngest city councillor at that time. In 1979, he became the youngest member of the British House of Commons, the 'Baby of the House', on winning the Liverpool Edge Hill by-election. He retained his Liverpool seat until retiring from the House of Commons in 1997. Although at one point the chief whip of the Liberal Party, Lord Alton took his seat as a crossbencher (independent member) of the House of Lords as a personal choice of the outgoing Prime Minister, John Major, in the Dissolution Honours of 1997.
David has used his time in politics to highlight human rights causes all over the world. He established the Jubilee Campaign in 1987 to lobby for human rights and co-founded Jubilee Action, a children's charity established to fulfil the humanitarian needs highlighted by the work of Jubilee Campaign.
He has supported the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong since the Chinese Government clampdown in 2019. In March 2021, it was announced that he was one of two members of the House of Lords to be sanctioned by China for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country. He was subsequently banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with him.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, paid him this tribute in 2019 at a surprise ceremony in Westminster to mark his 40 years in national politics: "One of the things makes David the British politician that I most unequivocally and unreservedly admire is his capacity to remind us that democracy is not about amplifying the voices of those who already have a voice but listening for and enabling the voices of those who don't ... David's attention to issues of respect for life from conception to death, and beyond, is one of the things which makes his devotion, his service, so unusually consistent, so unusually of one piece."
David's commitment to Ireland is long-standing and personal. His mother Bridget was a native Irish speaker from Tourmakeady, Co Mayo and he and his children hold Irish citizenship. In 1997 David addressed a full congregation in Knock Basilica during a Mass commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine.
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 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]
