A highly-acclaimed Irish obstetrician cautioned voters to be wary of “untrue” information being pushed by abortion activists ahead of the May 25 vote on abortion in Ireland.
Dr. Trevor Hayes, twice recognized as “Obstetrician of the Year” by Maternity and Infant Magazine, said Ireland does not need legalized abortion to keep women safe, according to The Tricolour. He works as an OB-GYN consultant at St. Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny and director of the Women’s Health Group.
Speaking at the pro-life Love Both conference this week, Hayes urged Ireland to vote “no” on the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which protects unborn babies’ right to life.
“If repeal were to happen, 99 percent of abortions would take place for any reason at all or on supposed mental health grounds,” Hayes said. “That’s the reality based on what has happened in other countries but you wouldn’t think it based on how the present debate is being conducted.”
On May 25, Ireland is scheduled to vote on whether to repeal its Eighth Amendment, which protects unborn babies’ right to life. Abortion activists, backed by some of the world’s richest men, are pushing the pro-life country to legalize abortion on demand.
Pro-lifers estimate that the Eighth Amendment has saved approximately 100,000 unborn babies’ lives from abortion.
If the amendment is repealed, government leaders plan to push a proposal to legalize abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to six months in a wide range of circumstances.
Hayes and a number of other Irish medical experts have accused abortion activists of pushing lies and deceptions to claim women are being hurt by the pro-life amendment.
“I am very concerned that recent weeks have seen significant and untrue public statements about the practice of maternal healthcare in this country,” Hayes said.
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He said the Eighth Amendment has never prevented him from saving a mother’s life.
“Any suggestion that Irish doctors cannot intervene to protect women is deliberately misinforming the Irish public and creating unnecessary fears,” Hayes said. “I’ve never gambled with the lives of my patients. I’ve never lost a mother. The Eighth Amendment has never prevented me from doing my job to the best of my ability.
“Professional guidelines for obstetricians are very clear, there is no doubt whatsoever nor should there be any doubt that we can intervene to protect the life of women, doctors do not have to wait until the threat to life has become imminent,” he continued.
Hayes’ statements echoed those of many other prominent Irish doctors in the past few months.
Dr. Eamon McGuinness, a former chairman of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Ireland, recently wrote a column for the Irish Times to refute abortion activists’ claims.
If the pro-life laws truly were putting women at risk, McGuinness said he “would be leading the charge to have them expunged from the Constitution. A constitutional restriction on my ability, or the ability of any of my colleagues, to save the life of a pregnant woman would indeed be intolerable.”
Since 1983, when Ireland passed its Eighth Amendment, McGuinness said the country has become one of the safest places in the world for pregnant mothers and their babies.
Pro-life advocates have been working hard against a biased media, celebrities and huge, illegal donations from rich American businessmen who are intent on pushing Ireland to adopt abortion on demand. Pro-life volunteers have been knocking on doors across Ireland to save the Eighth Amendment and thousands of unborn babies’ lives.
Many of their efforts at outreach have been met with hostility and vandalism. Earlier this month, an abortion activist allegedly assaulted a pro-lifer in Galway as he was attempting to hang up a poster.
Several recent polls show the pro-abortion campaigners are losing ground, and many voters remain undecided. Still, support for abortion is higher than opposition. In April, the Business Insider reported 47 percent of Irish voters now say they will vote to repeal the pro-life Eighth Amendment – down 9 points from an earlier poll. According to the poll, 28 percent will vote to retain the pro-life amendment, and 20 percent are undecided.
