A piece of legislation that would have removed all legal protection for the unborn in Ireland has been rejected by the national parliament by a vote of 74 to 23
Deputy Ruth Coppinger presented her Bill to repeal the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution last Friday, appealing for support from the country’s political parties.
As readers of LifeNews may be aware, the 8th Amendment was inserted into the Irish Constitution by the people of Ireland in 1983. Ever since the Government introduced a law in 2013, allowing abortion for the full nine months of pregnancy where there is a threat of suicide, without any medical evidence to back it up, the 8th Amendment represents the last remaining constitutional protection for the unborn in Ireland.
In advance of the vote today, the Pro Life Campaign strongly criticized the Bill, noting that since its insertion into the Constitution, the 8th Amendment has ensured that pregnant women in Ireland receives all necessary medical treatment and at the same time has provided full protection for the unborn child’s right to life. They further pointed out that it is no exaggeration to say that tens of thousands of people are alive in Ireland today thanks to the 8th Amendment. Many mothers are grateful for the Amendment, because without it, their children may never have been born.
The Pro Life Campaign ran a campaign over the past week to enable pro-life people around Ireland to contact their local politicians before the vote today, reminding them about the unjust abortion law introduced in 2013 and asking them to vote against Deputy Coppinger’s Bill today.
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It is a relief that the Bill has been defeated. It means that this latest attempt to remove the rights of an entire group of human being in Irish society has failed. But it must be said that this is part of an ongoing assault on the 8th Amendment which doesn’t look like abating any time soon.
Deputy Coppinger and her supporters will continue to seek ways to promote the repeal of the 8th Amendment and for this reason, the pro-life movement in Ireland must continue to mobilise and grow.
