Thousands of People March in Ireland to Demand End to Abortion

International   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jul 5, 2022   |   12:26PM   |   Dublin, Ireland

Thousands of Irish pro-life advocates marched with renewed hope for unborn babies Saturday in Dublin as they celebrated the end of Roe v. Wade in the United States.

The historic victory for life from the U.S. Supreme Court in June has encouraged pro-life advocates across the world to continue fighting for the rights of unborn babies. Ireland legalized abortion in 2018, but Irish pro-life leaders expressed hope that they, too, will restore legal protections to unborn babies someday during the Rally for Life in downtown Dublin.

Breitbart reports the pro-life rally drew thousands of people, young and old, carrying banners and signs that read “Life will win: The future is pro-life” and “Roe v. Wade overturned: The North is next.”

“The Rally for Life is back with a bang, and the momentum and energy from this day will carry the movement into a Summer of Action around a new campaign addressing the terrible outcomes of the abortion law,” rally spokeswoman Megan Ní Scealláin told Gript Media.

Saturday brought the first Rally for Life in two years. Organizers had to cancel the pro-life event in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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One of the speakers, Bernadette Smyth, the director of the Northern Ireland pro-life organization Precious Life, celebrated with Americans about the U.S. Supreme Court victory.

“Today we share their joy. We commend and applaud all the pro-life groups in the U.S.,” she said.

Niamh Uí Bhriain, of the Life Institute, also expressed joy at the success of the pro-life movement in America.

“We have renewed hope and energy and a sense of excitement, but more than that we know the importance of defiance – of refusing to bow down to the establishment, of being unafraid of be counter-cultural when that’s what it takes to end abortion,” she told the crowd.

Others who spoke included Dr. Dermot Kearney, a pro-life doctor who was investigated for providing the life-saving abortion pill reversal treatment in England, and pro-life politicians TDs Peadar Tóibín and Carol Nolan, according to Breitbart.

Ní Scealláin said Ireland has seen a devastating 21,000 unborn babies be aborted since 2018, despite “assurances that it would be rare.”

Now, she said pro-life advocates are urging government leaders to keep the three-day waiting period in place between the informed consent appointment and the abortion, according to Gript.

“We know from figures released to Carol Nolan TD that between 800 and 1000 women did not proceed with an abortion after that initial appointment,” Ní Scealláin said. “Scrapping the requirement for those three days to think might mean another 1,000 abortions a year – increasing an already disturbingly high number of abortions? Who would want more abortions to take place?”

Ireland voted to legalize abortion in 2018. Now, abortions are legal for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to six months in a wide variety of circumstances. The law also forces taxpayers to pay for abortions and strictly limits conscience protections for medical professionals.

Northern Ireland also was forced to legalize the killing of unborn babies in abortions in 2019.

Most countries in Europe allow unborn babies to be aborted for any reason in the first trimester and often later in limited circumstances. However, a few, including Poland and Malta, protect unborn babies by banning abortions.