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8th December 2023
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In this Issue...

READ: House of Lords considers bill that reduces abortion time limits (#S2)

READ: Five Irish hospitals to start performing abortions from Monday (#S3)

READ: American politician introduces three pro-life Bills to Congress (#S345)

RE (#HI) GISTER NOW: PLC Webinar: Gearing up for Elections 2024, Tuesday 12th December (#hhh6)

ACTION: Can You Give the Gift of Practical Help This Christmas? (#S34)

ACTION: (#hhh6) THANK YOU to all our volunteers, supporters and friends who join with us each year to stand up for mothers and unborn babies (#HI)

BUY NOW: Christmas Card Sale! Support the Pro Life Cause This Christmas! (#auction)

LISTEN BACK: To our spokesperson Síle Quinlan on Radio Maria this week!

ACTION: Get involved in the Humanity Campaign – Communicate with your politicians (#Humanity) today (#Humanity)

ACTION (#history) : Do you have pro-life material which could be historically relevant? (#history)
House of Lords considers bill that reduces abortion time limits (http://)

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Baroness O’Loan

Yesterday, a Private Members' Bill was introduced in the House of Lords to lower the gestational time limit for abortions.

The bill, which was introduced by Baroness O’Loan from Northern Ireland for its First Reading, amends the Abortion Act 1967 to reduce the time limit for abortion from 24 to 22 weeks. If successful, it will be a small but worthwhile victory that will undoubtedly save the lives of some unborn babies.

Welcoming the bill, Right to Life UK said: "Research published last month by academics at the University of Leicester and Imperial College London found the number of babies born at 22 weeks gestation who survive to discharge from hospital tripled between 2018-19, before the BAPM guidance was introduced, and 2020-21, after the BAPM guidance was introduced."

Speaking about the bill she's sponsoring, Baroness O’Loan, said: “Our abortion law is desperately out of step with our current medical practice that enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks gestation”.

“This leaves a real contradiction in British law: in one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks, whilst, in another room of that same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life at the same stage”.

“A significant portion of the debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, over thirty years ago, centred on reducing the then abortion time limit from 28 weeks to 24 weeks based on the greater likelihood of the survival of a baby born at 24 weeks given medical and technological advances”.

“Such a rationale formed part of the reason for the reduction of the time limit in the Abortion Act then, and it is right that a similar reduction, based on similar reasons, be implemented now”.
Five Irish hospitals to start performing abortions from Monday (http://)

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St. Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny

From Monday, 11th December, five maternity hospitals are due to begin performing abortions. The five are: Kilkenny, Portiuncula, Letterkenny, Wexford and Portlaoise. This will bring the total of abortion-providing hospitals from 12 to 17, with just Cavan and Clonmel left abortion free. However, the government plans that Cavan and Clonmel will begin providing abortions in 2024.

However, the announcement from the Minister for Health neglected to explain how abortion will be “expanded” to these hospitals. The strategies used to impose abortion on these hospitals most likely involved discrimination in the hiring process of new doctors, inappropriately asking potential candidates whether they would be prepared to perform abortions and hiring candidates accordingly. This places an unfair disadvantage on candidates opposed to performing abortions as part of their medical work, which is a legal right they have.

Doctors in hospital environments have also been pressured to attend so-called ‘values clarification workshops’, which appear to be little else than efforts to indoctrinate reluctant doctors into agreeing to perform abortions. Pressuring doctors into being involved in the abortion process, which is not healthcare as it is not intended to save a human life but rather to “end the life of the foetus” (as defined in the 2018 Act), amounts to discrimination and an erosion of the promises made in the 2018 referendum that healthcare workers would not be compelled to perform abortions in violation of their ethical principles.

It is regrettable to see abortion creep into more hospitals. Doctors’ right to exercise freedom of conscience was a target of the three-year review. Pro-life lobbying should focus on this important point – urging politicians to reject attempts to discriminate against healthcare workers who do not want any part in the abortion process, including in hiring.
American politician introduces three pro-life Bills to Congress (http://)

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Rep. Mary Miller received an A+ rating from the pro-life Susan B Anthony List

On 6th December, Representative Mary Miller of Illinois introduced three separate bills to the Congress which, if enacted, would have an impact on United States abortion policy.

The “Woman’s Right to Know” bill would introduce a mandatory 24-hour waiting period across the US, and would require that an ultrasound be performed prior to an abortion being performed. A 2016 study by Jessica N. Sanders (et al) found that, in the case of Utah’s 24-hour waiting period, it resulted in 20% of women who made an initial appointment not returning for a final abortion appointment. This points to the reality that mandatory waiting periods are impactful and life-saving, even if they are just 24-hours.

In addition, she has introduced the “Pregnancy Is Not An Illness” bill which would prohibit the US Department of Health and Human Services from declaring pregnancy a life-threatening illness in order to receive abortion drugs. Despite considerable fear-mongering, this bill is simply an attempt to close a loop-hole whereby pregnancy can be deemed grounds to receive abortion pills (as distinct from procedures like a salpingectomy in cases of ectopic pregnancies).

The final piece of legislation introduced by the congresswoman is the “Love Them Both” bill, which would prohibit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from using the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to cover abortions. It would be a gross misappropriation of the spirit of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to use it cover abortions, the intention of which is to provide reasonable accommodations to a woman who experiences a workplace limitation due to arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

These pieces of legislation will hopefully generate some considerable debate about specific areas of abortion policy. They hopefully will foster a greater understanding of the impact of safeguards like mandatory waiting periods, whilst drawing attention to the misuse of existing laws and policies in the US to push for abortion.
PLC Webinar: Gearing up for Elections 2024, Tuesday 12th December (http://)
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Our next PLC Network Webinar is in TWO WEEKS

🗓️ Date: Tuesday, 12th December
💻 Location: Virtual Event (Zoom)
🕝 Time: 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

This is a free online webinar, but pre-registration is required 📝

We look forward to seeing you there!

Register Now 👇
Register Here ([link removed])
THANK YOU to all our volunteers, supporters and friends who join with us each year to stand up for mothers and unborn babies (http://)
JOIN US: An evening for volunteers will take place in Dublin City centre on 13th December from 6pm. If you think you might make it along, please let us know. Thank you!
Christmas Card Sale! Support the Pro Life Cause This Christmas! (http://)
Spread the spirit of joy this Christmas Season by reaching out to your loved ones, near and far, with our exclusive Christmas cards!

Make Every Card Count! Your purchase supports our mission to advocate for the rights of unborn babies and offer support to their mothers.

Order your Christmas cards before December 1st and get FREE postage! Limited stock available, so order now to ensure delivery in time for Christmas!
Order Now! ([link removed])
Can You Give the Gift of Practical Help This Christmas? (http://)
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You can make a big difference to a mother and baby in need this Christmas, by sponsoring a Community Connect gift package.

Or give your family and friends the gift of giving, and sponsor on their behalf!

Community Connect pride themselves on being able to present every pregnant mother and mother of a newborn baby that we help, with a BabyBox filled with practical items for baby as well as a MamaBag for the mother.

Their BabyBox is a beautiful box which includes nappies, wipes, babygros and vests, blanket, towel and bibs, as well as a beautiful handknit item, lovingly made by our fabulous team of knitters.

Their MamaBag is a special printed bag containing shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a helpful support information leaflet, some chocolates, maternity towels and a special luxury item for the mother (such as fluffy socks or slippers).

There are also a variety of other gift packages on our website that you can choose to sponsor, including a Hospital Bag Essentials Pack, as well as smaller bundles to suit all budgets!

All gifts sponsored will be prepared by their volunteers and delivered directly to a family in need.

Sponsor a gift now ([link removed])

Their beautiful and practical BabyBox can be sponsored for €60 and their thoughtful MamaBag for €20.
You can also sponsor a package of both for €75, which will be given together to a mother and her baby.

Order your gift on their website during December, and they will send you out a lovely gift card that you can give to family and friends, to tell them about the special gift you are giving in their honour.

Thank you sincerely for your support of their work.
Listen Back to our spokesperson Síle Quinlan on Radio Maria this week! (http://)
Listen Here ([link removed])
Humanity Campaign - Action Alert! (http://)
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It’s a really important time 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 now.

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.

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 ([link removed]) . Remember even the smallest effort will make a big difference.

Thank you!
Send an instant email to your politicians here ([link removed])
Read more about the Humanity Campaign here ([link removed])
Do you have pro-life material which could be historically relevant? (http://)
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 (mailto:[email protected]) if they possess such material (no matter how old or dusty!) to ensure it is preserved now and not lost to the ages.
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Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. 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]

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