Ireland: Bishop Faces Death Threat From Abortion Activists

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 24, 2012   |   4:38PM   |   Dublin, Ireland

A Catholic bishop has reported a potential death threat or threat of physical violence that appears to come from pro-abortion activists not happy with his pro-life views on abortion.

The Independent newspaper has more on Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who has asked the Gardai to investigate a warning saying he should be careful while “out on the streets” because of his views on abortion.

Dr Martin told how he had received a threatening letter in the wake of revelations by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he had also received a threat – as tensions on the contentious issue look likely to continue to heighten.

He said he received the letter in the past week and reported it to gardai straight away.

Dr Martin said: “I have received also a threatening letter which says because of my views on abortion I should be careful when I go out on the streets.

“There are strange people around, I have no bullet-proof vest on. I have constantly said mature debate should be measured debate.

“The Catholic position is a very strong one about the equal right of mother and baby and that is the situation we have.”

Dr Martin has reported the threat to gardai, who will now investigate the matter.

Dr Martin also said yesterday that people should be able to express their views “with conviction”, but added that “extreme language” and personal attacks were not the way “we go forward”.

The threat comes as the Irish government is looking at potentially allowing abortions in cases of when the life of the mother is in danger from the pregnancy.

Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro Life Campaign told LifeNews her group is worried about the proposal.

“Once it is conceded that some human lives may be directly targeted there is no going back. Inevitably over time the grounds for abortion would be widened. Pro-choice advocates get this point. Sadly some senior members of Fine Gael don’t appear to,” she said.

She added: “Abortion advocates are correct in viewing legislation for the X case as a first step in achieving abortion on demand. They understand that once the principle of defending human life is conceded, the State forfeits any moral or ethical authority to put limits on the grounds for abortion in the future. In the coming weeks, the Pro Life Campaign will ensure that the public is made fully aware of what legislation for the X case would actually entail.”

While abortion activists in Ireland work feverishly to exploit the case of a pregnant woman who died to legalize abortion, new numbers show abortion is apparently not needed to save women’s lives.

Not one Irish woman has had an abortion in the UK in order to save her life since 1992, new research from the Committee for Excellence in Maternal Healthcare (CEMH) has shown.

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A response to a freedom of information request by the Committee to the British Department of Health shows that, between 1992 and 2010, no abortions were carried out on Irish women under section F of the UK Abortion Act, which requires records to be kept of abortions that were carried out to “save the life of the mother.”

The new data also shows no abortions were carried out on Irish women between 1992 and 2010 under Section G of the same Act, which requires records to be kept of abortions conducted to “prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.”