The Pro Life Campaign has said “no matter how one dresses it up, today’s vote at the Citizens’ Assembly would result in abortion on demand if the recommendations voted on were inserted in the Constitution.”
Cora Sherlock of the Pro Life Campaign made the remarks after the Citizens’ Assembly met for the last time today, before sending their recommendations to the Oireachtas.
Ms Sherlock continued: “There is nothing liberal or progressive about the Assembly recommending a referendum to strip unborn babies of their right to life in law and also ignoring the negative consequences of abortion for women.
“The writing was on the wall for weeks after the Assembly invited groups like BPAS,[1] Britain’s largest abortion provider, to address them but never, for example, extended a single invitation to groups representing parents who say they owe the life of their child to the Eighth Amendment.
“This one-sided approach is typical of how the Assembly conducted its business from the get-go. It cannot be left unchallenged. If the next phase of the process is to have any credibility, the first thing the new Oireachtas Committee charged with looking at the issue must do is examine how the Citizens’ Assembly was allowed to operate in such a one-sided and chaotic way. One only has to look at today’s proceedings to see the muddled and confused farce the Assembly has become.”
Referring to a possible referendum in the future that takes away protections from the unborn child, Ms Sherlock said: “It’s far from certain that it would pass. According to polls, support for dismantling the Eighth Amendment is extremely soft. With each passing day people are becoming more aware of what’s at stake and the barbarity of what happens in the name of ‘choice’ and ‘compassion’ once abortion is legalised.
Ms Sherlock concluded: “Pro-life supporters will understandably be disappointed with today’s result but it’s no reason to become disheartened. Human rights don’t get old. They don’t pass their sell-by-date.
“When abortion is introduced, even on ‘restrictive’ grounds, it is only a matter of time before the grounds are expanded. When particular categories of human beings are singled out as unworthy of legal protection in the womb, we undermine respect for all human life, born and unborn. There is no escaping this reality. I believe this message is starting to hit home with people. That can only be a good thing for the future of the Eighth Amendment.”