Irish bishops exhort lawmakers to reject abortion

June 11, 2013

Warning that pending legislation would “fundamentally change the culture of medical practice in Ireland,” the country’s Catholic bishops have called upon lawmakers to reject a bill that would allow for legal abortion.

At a June meeting, the Irish bishops’ conference released a statement saying that the vote on the abortion bill could be “a defining moment for our country.” They urged citizens to contact their political representatives and encourage a vote to protect life.

“We ask our public representatives to uphold the equal and inviolable right to life of all human beings, even if this means standing above other pressures and party loyalties,” the bishops said. Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said that he will enforce party discipline on the abortion bill, which his coalition government strongly backs.

The Irish bishops, in their statement, rejected Kenny’s argument that new legislation is required by a European court judgment in the “X case.” They also rejected the idea that abortion would be an appropriate step if a pregnant women harbors suicidal impulses. “People are being misled,” they said, by the rhetoric in favor of the abortion bill.

 

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Further information:

• Catholic bishops urge Irish lawmakers to block bill legalizing exceptional abortions (AP)
• A time to uphold the right to life: Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland (Irish bishops’ conference)