Archbishop Eamon Martin invites voters to think of two lives and to say ‘no’ to the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in the referendum on 25th May
Message
Brothers and sisters
Here in Lourdes I’ve been asking people from all over the world to pray that on 25 May Ireland will say no to repealing the eighth amendment.
The Supreme Court has clarified that if the Eighth Amendment is repealed, unborn children in Ireland will have absolutely no constitutional rights. We are also told that A vote to repeal the 8th Amendment on 25th May would pave the way for a very liberal abortion regime in Ireland, including completely unrestricted access to abortion during the first three months of pregnancy.
What a departure this is from the 8th amendment, where the equality of life of a mother and her unborn baby is written into our Constitution. The lives of Women, and their unborn children are precious, to be loved, valued and protected. Both lives deserve protection from the tragedy and irreversible decision of abortion.
To be against abortion is not simply “a Catholic thing”. The dignity of every human life is a value for the whole of society – for people of all faiths and none. It is rooted in reason as well as in faith. To take away an innocent human life can never be simply a matter of personal choice.
In recent months we have been reminded about the miracle of life in the womb – how your heart started beating from around week five, or your unique fingerprint began to form only ten to twelve weeks after conception. That little unborn child in the ultrasound scan is the same baby that, if given a chance, will be born and grow further through infancy to adolescence to adulthood to old age.
When you go inside the voting booth on 25th May, I invite you to pause and think of two lives – the life of the mother and the life of her baby: two hearts beating; two lives which are both precious and deserving of compassion and protection. Love them both. Pray for both. Choose Life for them both. Say NO to repealing the Eighth Amendment and then do everything you can to ensure that our country will always provide the best possible care and support for all mothers and their unborn children.
ENDS