“Oireachtas committee must urgently investigate how Assembly carried out its work” – Sherlock
The Pro Life Campaign has said it is “disappointed but not surprised” by today’s vote at the Citizens’ Assembly recommending a referendum to dismantle the Eighth Amendment.
Commenting on today’s result, Cora Sherlock of the Pro Life Campaign said: “The writing was on the wall for this outcome after the Citizens’ Assembly invited oral presentations from groups like BPAS,[1] Britain’s largest abortion provider, yet refused to entertain a single presentation, for example, from parents who contemplated abortion but changed their minds and openly say they owe the life of their child to the Eighth Amendment.
“This one-sided approach was 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 Oireachtas committee charged with considering the Assembly’s recommendations must give urgent priority to shining a spotlight on how the Assembly actually went about its work.”
Ms Sherlock said: “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. There is nothing liberal or progressive about any assembly proposing a referendum to strip unborn babies of their first and most basic human right, namely the right to life itself.”
Referring to a possible referendum in the future that would take away protections from the unborn child, she 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.
“Some might think that the fact that both pro-life and pro-choice groups have criticised the Assembly’s recommendations today is a sign that a reasonable position was arrived at. This is simply not the case. The fact that the Assembly has recommended ‘amending’ the Eighth Amendment rather than full ‘repeal’ changes nothing.
“Once 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 am confident this message is starting to hit home with people. That can only be a good thing for the future of the Eighth Amendment.”