Today marks the 34th anniversary of the passage of the 8th Amendment.
Pro Life Campaign spokesperson, Cora Sherlock said it’s an opportunity to “celebrate the lives saved by the Amendment.”
She said: “The number of people alive today thanks to the 8th Amendment is something that receives far too little attention. According to an independently produced actuarial report last year, there are, at a conservative estimate, 100,000 people alive today in Ireland as a direct result of the 8th Amendment. That’s an amazing thing that deserves to be front and centre in the current debate on abortion.
“Just last month, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Northern Ireland validated similar claims that tens of thousands of lives had been saved from abortion as a direct result of not extending the 1967 abortion law to Northern Ireland.
“Many people involved in the pro-life movement today openly say they owe the life of their child to the 8th Amendment. Having to travel to England meant a few extra days planning and gave them the time to think things through a bit more and decide against abortion. Today, they cannot believe they ever entertained the idea of ending the life of the son or daughter who now means the world to them.
“Some of these children are very well known to members of the pro-life movement. When you personally come to know someone who was nearly aborted, it has a profound impact on the way you see the issue. When you meet a son or daughter who was nearly aborted, you’re not meeting a ‘choice’. You’re meeting a child with the same potential and right to be alive as you or me.
“Ireland’s life-saving 8th Amendment doesn’t deserve the criticism and ridicule it receives in certain quarters. It has served as a beacon of hope at a time when other countries legalised wide-ranging abortion. Ireland has shown it’s possible to prohibit abortion and still be a world leader in protecting the lives of pregnant women.
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Ms Sherlock concluded:”No country is perfect but we have every reason to be immensely proud of our pro-life laws. As a society, instead of dismantling the 8th Amendment, we should be pooling our energies and working together to create a more welcoming, life-affirming environment for expectant mothers and their unborn babies.
“Without question, the 8th Amendment has saved countless lives. Repealing or replacing it would inevitably cost lives. That’s the reality behind the rhetoric of ‘choice’ currently dominating the debate on the issue.”
