In a social media review of last Saturday's March for Life in Dublin, one attendee described the event as "energetic", "reinvigorating" and a "great tonic for the troops". It's an apt description of the March which attracted a disproportionately large turnout of young people and where the guest speakers delivered strong, purposeful but hopeful messages about the next phase of pro-life efforts.
None of the speakers were under any illusions about the challenges facing the movement and the fact that wide-ranging abortion is now a reality in Ireland. All of the speakers identified areas where incremental progress can be made, with a strong emphasis on demanding pro-life representation at the decision making table to work towards reducing Ireland's spiralling abortion rate.
Last Saturday's event was the fifth large outdoor pro-life gathering in Ireland of 2022, following on from the rallies and regional marches that happened earlier in the summer. Pro-abortion campaigners hoped that we would vacate the public square and leave it all to them, given everything that happened in recent years. The events of 2022 are proof that this is never going to happen.
The marches and rallies taking place are not about going through the motions to pretend the pro-life movement has a future. Quite the opposite. They are being held because we emphatically believe the pro-life cause has a very bright future and are determined to ensure abortion never becomes normalised in this country.
With hope and determination, we march on.
Click here for extracts of the speeches and to read the press release about the March.
This morning at 11:41am, pro-life people across Britain will stop for a minute to commemorate the ten million lives that have been ended by abortion in England, Wales and Scotland since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967.
Using their internal abortion numbers model, the group Right to Life UK projected that 11:41am today Friday 23 September is the precise time when the ten millionth abortion will take place.
We urge readers of Vital Signs to honour this minute of silence today or at some point during the day. Each one of these babies who lost his or her life to abortion was a unique, precious and unrepeatable human being. May we never lose sight of this.
New 4D ultrasound photographs of babies in the womb show them reacting to different foods their mothers have just eaten. The babies are shown smiling at the taste of carrots, while they wince at the taste of kale.
Scientists from Durham University recorded scans of 100 pregnant women for their study. The research was conducted during the later stages of pregnancy. The findings also suggest that what a mother eats during pregnancy can influence babies’ taste preferences after birth.
It is nice to see the attention this latest research is receiving in the media but it is also very noticeable the way the unborn babies are mostly referred to in the reports as ‘babies’ and not “foetuses”.
When babies at the same gestational stage are being aborted they are routinely referred to as foetuses in media reports. The inconsistencies and motivations that lie behind the different ways these babies are referred to is something that demands more attention.
It is also worth pointing out that the Oireachtas Committee on abortion chaired by former Senator Catherine Noone which claimed to take an “exhaustive” look at the issue prior to the 2018 referendum never spent a single second of its time looking at the developmental stages of the unborn child in the womb or issues relating to when human life begins.
We are emailing to invite you become part of the next generation of pro-life leaders in Ireland!
Applications are now open for the ninth course of the Future Leaders Programme, commencingon Monday 3rd October at 7pm. There will be a combination of online and in person events, a day-long studio programme in Dublin, and a trip to Leinster House.
The course is designed specifically for the next generation of pro-life leaders, and students/young adults can apply for a free place on the 8 week course here (deadline is Monday 17th October).
If you are aged between 18-35 and wish to apply to participate, please complete this application form by Monday 17th October, and we will get back to you. If you know someone who might benefit from this course please forward this email to them.
There are 15 sponsored places available for suitable participants.
After a two year break, the sixth annual Ceiliúradh Cois Life dinner for pro-life education (co-hosted with Senator Rónán Mullen) will take place in the RDS Concert Hall, Merrion Road, Dublin 4 on Friday, 7th October at 7pm.
Our guest speaker this year is Professor Emeritus William Binchy of Trinity College Dublin. As well as being Regius Professor of Laws in TCD until 2012, William is an author of numerous legal textbooks, a former member of the Irish Human Rights Commission, a practising barrister and one of the leading voices in defence of the right to life of unborn children in Ireland since 1983.
The proceeds of the dinner will ensure the vital education and support work of the Pro Life Campaign can continue — assisting new mothers and those with unplanned pregnancy, and running educational programmes for young people in the pro-life movement on college campuses and through the Future Leaders Programme.
Due to an increase in costs (beyond our control), the price of a table of ten this year is €1,500. Individual tickets are €150 each. If you would like to join us on the evening, please emailto book a table or individual ticket.
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is expected to make a decision very soon on whether to end or sanction the continuation of telemedicine home abortions.
In a very distrubing new finding, 15% of women in the UK said they experienced pressure to go though with an abortion they didn't want to have.*
The HSE in Ireland recently acknowledged** that coercion is MORE likely to occur when abortions happen remotely.
Telemedicine abortion is anti-woman as well as anti-baby.
Take one minute to send an INSTANT message to your TDs asking them to urge the Minister for Health to immediately STOP telemedicine abortion now that Covid 19 measures have been eased in every other area.
Would you like to experience working with a pro-active Human Rights organisation?
If you would like, APPLY HERE to our exciting virtual intern programme for students!
Participants on the programme will have an opportunity to network with other young people and develop skills in advocacy, campaign management and project planning.
Internships run for one-week periods and are suitable for second level (Transition year or older) and third level students.
Each intern will do 4 hours supervised work each day and will be working on areas such as social media, contact with members of the movement nationwide, project planning and contributing to support work for women and their babies.
Internships are not paid, however expenses will be covered.
If you or a family member is interested, please complete the below form and we will be in touch with you presently. Placements are subject to availability.
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]
