Ireland was once a Catholic country which included in its Constitution the Eighth Amendment, guaranteed protection for the unborn child. Because of its strong law prohibiting abortion, Ireland had a remarkably low maternal death rate, since all funding for maternal care was directed to the mother’s and the baby’s safety.
Because Ireland was Catholic and pro-life, it became a target for pro-abortionists. These attacking outsiders included International Planned Parenthood, U.S. billionaire George Soros’ Open Society and the U.S. Ford Foundation, together with the mainstream media and social media such as Google and Facebook. These forces organized a ruthless campaign to successfully remove the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution. They spewed out pro-abortion propaganda defying any attempt at balancing pro-life information. Consequently, a referendum, held on May 25, 2018, resulted in the Eighth Amendment being removed from the Constitution.
On December 20, 2018, the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Act (RTP), became law in Ireland, which permitted abortion up to twelve weeks of pregnancy, or later where there is a serious risk to the pregnant woman. The law also permitted abortion when there is a condition likely to lead to the death of the unborn child before or shortly after birth.
Although the pro-abortion propaganda at the time of the referendum claimed that the removal of the Eighth Amendment would not cause a large number of abortions, the removal has, in fact, resulted in 13,709 abortions on women residing in Ireland in just two years. This number includes abortions that were performed not only in Ireland, but also on Irish residents in England and Wales.
Irish Physicians Reluctant to Perform Abortions
The Irish College of General Practitioners has a registration totalling 3,496 General Practitioners (GPs). However, only 373 of these physicians have signed contracts with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide abortions. In addition, approximately only half of the maternity hospitals in Ireland provide abortion services to patients.
Pro-Abortionists Furious
The Abortion Support Network (ASN), as well as feminist groups, were furious with the failure to cooperate and promote the abortion law. They demanded an immediate widening of the law.
Government to Review the Abortion Law
Under the Termination of Pregnancy Act, the Health Minister is required to carry out a review of the abortion services no later than three years after the law’s commencement. The Health Department confirmed that a review would take place in 2021. The Department of Health extended an invitation to all interested groups, organizations, and members of the public to provide their views for the review of the operation of the abortion legislation.
The pro-abortionists, including the feminist National Women’s Council (NWC), claim that women in Ireland are deprived of the “benefits” of the abortion law. They are demanding that abortion access be expanded in Ireland so that all abortions be decriminalized, and demanded that “Do it yourself”, at-home abortion services, that were established during the COVID pandemic, be made permanent. Further, they want the gestation limits on abortion in the current legislation to be eliminated.
Not the End of the Irish Abortion Story
This is not the end of the story. Although the Irish pro-life movement experienced a heart-breaking setback by the new law, it did not lose its determination for Ireland to become again a pro-life country.
On June 29, 2021, the pro-life movement organized 55 pro-life rallies across Ireland urging the public to rethink abortion. These individual rallies were organized in lieu of a nation-wide rally due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Euthanasia Story in Ireland
After the abortion debacle, anti-life forces in Ireland expected further victories. This did not happen in the Irish Parliament. The most recent attempt occurred in the Justice Committee however, which dealt with a 2018 bill on assisted dying. The Committee concluded “it was not in a position to recommend legislative changes at this time”.
This conclusion occurred because the pressure to bring euthanasia into Ireland was not promoted, advocated or pushed by outside organizations (mainly U.S.), which had successfully brought about the abortion law. The Irish culture of faith and life prevailed, supported by nearly all medical stakeholders in Ireland. Over 2,500 health care professionals signed a letter rejecting the euthanasia bill, and the disability rights advocates also pushed against it.
Although the pro-life movement in Ireland was battered and abused by the outside forces on abortion, it is still alive and fighting for the dignity of all human life, both on abortion and euthanasia. The pro-life forces are ready and waiting to protect all human life there.