Former Taoiseach John Bruton pictured in 2018 with his wife Finola, along with EilĂs Mulroy and Senator RĂłnan Mullen at the annual Pro Life Campaign dinner in Dublin
Former Taoiseach John Bruton, who died earlier this week, was a sincere and spirited advocate for the right-to-life. In 2018, he campaigned publicly for a No vote in the abortion referendum.Â
He will be greatly missed and we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Finola and all his family.Â
He was of course a much respected and distinguished statesman but there were other reasons why John Bruton stood apart and will be fondly remembered.Â
He displayed many qualities that are not often seen in leaders today. He was admired across the political divide as someone who didnât seek the limelight or court popularity for himself but instead used his profile to advance the causes he cared passionately about, and as a voice for the most vulnerable and forgotten in society.
It was a great honour for the Pro Life Campaign to have the former Taoiseach as the keynote speaker in 2018 at CeiliĂșradh Cois Life, the annual pro-life dinner in Dublin. In his after-dinner address (which took place just a few months after the abortion referendum) Mr Bruton spoke about the heartbreak of the referendum loss and offered some words of encouragement to the pro-life movement, saying:
âIt is unclear what the new shared values of Irish society are to be. The referendum did not end the debate. If life is not the primary value, what is? To fill that vacant space, and drawing on the most modern medical knowledge, the pro-life arguments will need to be made, over and over again, to the young people of Ireland and to the generations that will succeed them. These arguments, if repeated often and courageously, will remain in peopleâs minds, and will influence the private decisions that Irish women, their partners, and their loved ones will make in future, as to whether to accept a new person into their family circle, with all the responsibilities, joys and sacrifices that that entails. Notwithstanding the change in the law, the number of abortions can continue to be reduced, if people are convinced that there is a better and more just way. Lighting that way forward is the real route to a brighter Ireland.â
John Bruton was a courageous, compassionate and noble statesman. His passing is a great loss to the Irish nation.
The National Womenâs Council, which is funded to the tune of âŹ1,000,000 annually of taxpayersâ money, has been lobbying heavily to amend the current Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 to make it even more extreme and pervasive. Amongst their wish-list is to remove ârigid gestational limitsâ, thereby facilitating horrific late-term abortions; to scrap the three-day waiting period, despite statistical evidence which shows it has saved thousands of lives since 2019; and to remove âcriminalisationâ from the law, meaning unscrupulous individuals could legally perform abortions with impunity.
On Monday, 5 February, the National Womenâs Council stooped to a new low by posting a distasteful tweet which attempted to link its extreme pro-abortion campaigning with Saint Brigid. The post included a picture of a St Brigidâs Cross and included a call for the government to âtake action on #abortionaccessâ. It further claimed that the government policies force âwomen and pregnant people to travel abroad for abortion accessâ. The post was widely criticised. A tweet from the Pro Life Campaign noting that the post was deeply offensive to Christians received over 8,200 views.
Some pro-abortion activists have occasionally tried to depict St Brigid as a âpagan goddessâ who performed abortions. Despite being a complete falsification, this narrative is sometimes still used by the more extreme wings of the pro-abortion movement in Ireland. This false narrative is deeply offensive to Christians. It should be no surprise that the National Womenâs Council is now indulging in this fringe historical distortion, because the campaigning group has become so ideologically extreme and itâs totally out of step with the mainstream of Irish opinion. But their radicalisation has not stopped them from being generously funded by the state and endlessly platformed in media and print to advocate on behalf of âwomenâ, despite the group espousing views that most women would disagree with.
Government must now reassess the level of tax-payer money being awarded to the NWCI.
Irish rugby player Joe McCarthy pictured with his brother Andrew and his parents after Irelandâs win against France in Marseille
Irish rugby player Joe McCarthy shared the joy of victory with his brother Andrew after Irelandâs 38-17 victory over France in the Six Nations Championship opener in Marseille last weekend.Â
As press photographers looked on, 22-year-old McCarthy walked towards his brother Andrew in the crowded stand and presented him with his Player of the Match medal.Â
Andrew, who has Down Syndrome, is a rugby player in his own right and a member of a club that trains tag rugby teams for young people with special needs.
Joe McCarthy's personal gesture after Irelandâs win was a heartwarming moment that reflects very well on the newcomer to international rugby. Not surprisingly, the photos that captured the moment featured prominently online and in the following day's newspaper coverage.Â
The Irish Times journalist Jennifer Bray has been publishing stories arising from abortion-related information that has been leaked to her for approximately a year now. She was first out of the traps in April 2023 to report that the three-year review would propose âsweeping changesâ to the Irish abortion law days before the report was even published by the Department of Health.
However, her 22 November 2023 prediction that the Health Committee would unanimously sign off on all the changes proposed by the three-year review as a package failed to pan out. The eventual report form the Health Committee noted that there were concerns raised by individual committee members about the nature of the three-year reviewâs recommendations.
In a letter published in the Irish Times at the weekend, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson EilĂs Mulroy pinpointed how the Health Committeeâs eventual report contradicted Jennifer Brayâs report. The letter highlighted that concerns were raised that the abortion review either failed to conduct or use sufficient research to justify removing the life-saving three-day waiting period from the legislation. During the Health Committee hearing on 31 May, chairperson of the review Marie OâShea admitted she hadnât met with a single woman who may have considered an abortion but opted to proceed with her pregnancy. Similarly, attempts were made at the Health Committee meeting of 18 October by Ms OâShea and her two colleagues to explain away why they hadnât conducted this critical research.
The Health Committeeâs report also contained criticism of the three-year reviewâs proposals, which were rightly considered to have far exceeded the mandate sought by the government and Yes campaign in the 2018 referendum. The letter concluded by encouraging the government to shelve the extreme three-year review report, which was a poor piece of research in the first instance and which made recommendations which are totally out of step with public opinion.
Explore the world of human rights with our internship programme! This is your chance to network, learn advocacy skills, and gain experience in campaign management and project planning.
This one-week internship is available starting every Monday from 15th January. It is suitable for TY and older, third-level students, and anyone interested in gaining experience in non-profit work!Â
Itâs 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. Itâs 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.
Itâs also important to have meetings with your TDs. These can be as simple as dropping into your local TDâs advice clinic to outline your concerns. Click below to register to lobby your local TDs. Donât worry â weâll 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 DĂĄil 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 â 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. Remember even the smallest effort will make a big difference.
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.Â
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]
