Northern Ireland: Catholic bishops oppose move to allow abortion in cases of severe fetal defect

February 09, 2016

The Catholic bishops have issued a statement urging lawmakers to reject a proposal that would "permit the direct and intentional killing of unborn children with life-limiting conditions."

The legislative proposal, which would legalize abortion in cases in which the unborn child suffers from a severe physical defect, "cannot be reconciled in any way with a commitment to the universal moral principle of the right to life," the bishops argue.

Rather than abortion children who suffer from severe physical problems, the bishops called on the medical professions to offer compassionate care:

Both medical professionals and legislators have a duty to acknowledge that an unborn child with a life-limiting condition, including anencephaly, continues in every clinical and moral sense to be alive and worthy of continuing life-supporting intervention and care until natural death. 

 

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Further information:

• Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland on the proposed abortion amendment to the Northern Ireland Justice Bill.