LifeNet

Massive pro-life rally in Ireland

Over 30,000 in Dublin.

The crowd heard from leaders of the pro-life movement as well as from Mickey Harte, one of Ireland’s best-loved sporting heroes, and Bernadette Goulding of Women Hurt, who spoke of the devastation she suffered due to an abortion many years ago.

The first speaker was Family & Life’s David Manly, who warned that careless talk costs lives and that abortion advocates seek to dehumanise the unborn by the manipulation of language. Caroline Simons, from the Pro Life Campaign, told the crowd that the experts who testified at the Health Committee hearings had "completely demolished" the government's argument for legislating for the X Case. "The psychiatrists who addressed the hearings were unanimous that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal ideation," she said. "If the Government legislates for abortion on the basis of the X case, this legislation would cure no woman of suicidal ideation, but it would put some women's lives at risk."

Ireland's Bishop Thomas Finnegan, outspoken defender of life, RIP

From the Irish prolife website, Family & Life -

One of the most outspoken opponents of abortion among Ireland’s bishops has died. Bishop Thomas Finnegan, the retired bishop of Killala, died on Christmas Day at the age of 86. He led the diocese of Killala from 1987 to 2002. During that time he established the Newman Institute in Ballina, County Mayo, offering courses in the theology of marriage and family. His dream of establishing a fully-fledged Catholic university was not, however, realised.

Here is a wonderfully succinct defense of life:

In May 2001 he issued a pastoral letter calling for a referendum to restore constitutional protection to the unborn. In it, he described abortion as “the fundamental human rights issue of today.” “It is not just a private issue,” he explained. “It is an issue which touches on whether we see the unborn child as deserving of inclusion and protection in the human community; but equally importantly, it is about what kind of care we want to provide for mothers in difficult circumstances. It challenges all of us to build the kind of society where no woman feels that her only or best choice is to end the life of her child. We need to ensure that those who feel that abortion is the only way out of a difficult situation are offered a truly life-giving choice.”

 

Polling in Ireland shows strong support for pro-life position

The majority of Irish people favour constitutional protection for the life of the unborn, according to results of a national poll.

The poll, conducted by Milward Brown Lansdowne on behalf of the Pro Life Campaign, asked 984 adults: “Are you in favour or opposed to constitutional protection for the unborn that prohibits abortion but allows the continuation of the existing practice of intervention to save a mother’s life, in accordance with Irish medical ethics?”

Over two thirds of Irish people want to see the right to life of the unborn child protected in law, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pro Life Campaign.

61 per cent favoured constitutional protection for the unborn child, with 17 per cent opposed. Twenty two per cent didn't know or had no opinion. When this 22 per cent is excluded, 78 per cent of people favour legal protection for the unborn, while 22 per cent are opposed.

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At a press conference in Dublin to highlight the findings, Dr Kiely said that Irish law “should continue to respect Irish medical practice, which gives the best care in the world to both the pregnant mother and her child.”

She said: “For nearly two decades, international figures have shown that Ireland has consistently been the safest country in the world for women to give birth in. The most up-to-date figures from the World Health Organisation confirmed this again in 2010.“This is a fact of which many people are not aware, but of which we should be immensely proud.”

Majority in Ireland favor ban on destructive embryo research

This from Family & Life in Republic of Ireland: Majority in Ireland Seek Ban on Embryo Research and New Pro-Life Referendum   Family & Life

A clear majority of Irish people remains opposed to destructive embryo stem cell research, according to a new opinion poll commissioned by the Pro-Life Campaign (PLC), and undertaken by Millward Brown IMS.

The first question ran: “Currently, experimentation involving the destruction of human embryos does not take place in Ireland. Do you think the Dáil should enshrine the protection of the human embryo in law?” The poll found that 55% of people are in favour of the Dáil (House of Representatives) banning such research by the enactment of legislation enshrining protection of the human embryo. Only 14% of respondents said they did not favour a ban. The rest said they didn’t know.

Commenting on the finding, a spokesman for the PLC said: “It’s pretty obvious from the poll results that the general public supports legal protection for the human embryo. The Government has a duty to vindicate the right to life of the embryo both in Ireland and at international meetings.” The spokesman said the Government should take note of public opinion as it prepares to give its backing to EU funding of embryo stem-cell research.