The Bishop of the Diocese of Elphin and the President of the Bishops’ Conference of Ireland were present.
Newsroom (14/05/2024 12:18, Gaudium Press) Last Monday, thousands of people took part in the March for Life in Ireland, leaving from Saint Stephen’s Green in central Dublin and heading towards the Irish Parliament. The vast majority of the marchers were young people.
The Archbishop of Armagh, Bishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, who is president of the Bishops’ Conference of Ireland, joined several other Catholic leaders to take part in the march. The prelate described the event as “uplifting and positive”, in “contrast to the dark and negative messages of aggression, violence and death that sometimes threaten to destroy us”.
With a view to the elections in Ireland, the speakers asked the march participants to “think pro-life” this year.
This appeal came shortly after the passing of a law in Ireland that establishes “Safe Access Zones” 100 meters around places that offer abortion services, where “certain conduct aimed at preventing access to or influencing decisions in relation to abortion services will be prohibited”.
Eilis Mulroy, one of the organizers and speakers at the March, called on Irish citizens to prioritize voting for pro-life candidates and parties, especially in the face of the significant increase in abortion rates which, she said, are currently “skyrocketing” and having a “devastating” effect on Irish society.
Abortion was legalized in Ireland in 2018 and is currently allowed up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Before 2018, Ireland’s eighth amendment allowed abortion only in cases where the mother’s life was in danger.
Following the 2018 referendum, a commission appointed to review this legislation is considering eliminating the three-day waiting period, suspending criminal penalties for medical professionals who perform abortions and changing the legal definition of fatal fetal anomalies.
In 2023, Ireland recorded an all-time high of 9,218 abortions.
On “Safe Access Zones”
Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of the Diocese of Elphin and President of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Life, said in his homily: “We are called – in everything we do or say – to be witnesses to the love of God made present in Jesus Christ. For us, this inevitably means bearing witness to the inherent value of every human life.”
Referring to the Safe Access Zones law, Bishop Doran added that “nothing, no law, no public policy and no pressure from neighbors or colleagues can take away our right, even our responsibility, to publicly defend those who are most vulnerable, especially at the beginning and end of life.”
With information from CNA
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
