Irish Health Minister Simon Harris blasted pro-life advocates as “cold, uncaring” and “neglectful” for fighting to protect unborn babies’ right to life in the Irish Constitution.
Harris, who hypocritically claims to be pro-life, is pushing legislation to legalize abortion on demand in Ireland.
The Irish Mirror reports Harris urged support for his legislation Friday in a speech to the Dáil, saying the country is “cold, uncaring, neglectful” because it prohibits abortion (the brutal, unnecessary killing of unborn children).
Ireland is under intense pressure 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.
On Thursday, the Irish government published the exact language of the referendum bill, or the proposed 36th Amendment to the Constitution, the Irish Examiner reports. Voters will be asked to repeal the Eighth Amendment and replace it with the following language: “Provision may be made in law for regulation of termination of a pregnancy.”
The language is very broad, giving rise to concerns that Ireland will be pushed to legalize abortion without restriction.
But Harris disparagingly compared Ireland’s pro-life Constitution to laws in Saudi Arabia.
“I cannot live any longer with a law that forces families devastated by a fatal foetal diagnosis to travel to another country, and bring home the remains of their much-loved and much-wanted lost child in the boot of their car, or by courier service,” Harris said.
No one is forcing families to kill their “much-loved” unborn babies. The Eighth Amendment recognizes that even unborn babies who are dying are valuable human beings whose lives deserve to be protected. Families always have other options than killing their unborn baby.
Caroline Simons, a leader of the Pro Life Campaign in Ireland, said voters need to understand that Ireland could become one of the most extreme pro-abortion countries in the world if the Eighth Amendment is overturned.
“It is clear beyond any doubt from today’s announcement from government that a vote for repeal is a vote for abortion on demand up to birth,” she told the Irish Examiner.
“The proposal provides for abortion for any reason in the first three months of pregnancy and up to birth on a ground of health (including mental health) that is undefined and that has led to wide-ranging abortion in countries where it has already been introduced,” Simons continued. “In Britain, there are time limits on the so-called health ground. So today’s government proposal is, objectively speaking, more extreme than the law in Britain.”
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She described the cruel reality of what Harris is proposing: “The bill Minister Harris has been really looking forward to introducing today provides for abortion procedures where the baby is first paralysed with an injection by the abortionist to stop him or her from moving. A second injection of poison is then administered by the abortionist to stop the baby’s heart from beating.”
Simons also pointed out that Ireland has one of the best maternal health care rates in the world, surpassing England and the United States where abortion is widely available.
“If these members of government really trusted women, they would stop engendering fear about women’s health as they push for abortion and instead reassure the public about the truth that Ireland without abortion is one of the safest countries in the world for pregnant women …” she said.
Harris released a proposal this week that recommends abortions for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, should the amendment be repealed, according to the Irish Independent.
It would allow abortions up to birth in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities and risks to the mother’s life or health. What specifically “health” refers to is not clear, but the proposal indicates that “physical and mental health risks will be treated the same.” This could mean wide exceptions that allow even healthy, viable, late-term unborn babies to be aborted for almost any reason.
A referendum vote is scheduled for May, prior to Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. There were some rumblings among abortion activists that the Catholic leader’s visit could influence voters to support unborn babies’ right to life.
Pro-life groups have volunteers knocking on doors across Ireland to save the Eighth Amendment and unborn babies’ lives. They are up against a biased media and huge, illegal donations from American businessmen who are intent on pushing Ireland to adopt abortion on demand.
