Following their Autumn General Meeting, the Irish Catholic Bishops have called for a time of prayer and action for unborn life ahead of the annual ‘Day for Life’ which takes place in parishes across the country this Sunday, 6 October.
Bishops said, “Human laws do not determine what is good or true. What was true in advance of the legalisation for abortion in the Republic of Ireland, or its proposed imposition in Northern Ireland, remains true today. Every human life is a gift and a blessing and ought not be destroyed or disposed of at will.
“In season and out of season the Church proclaims that God is the author of life as we read in Psalm 139, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’ and as Pope Benedict has said, ‘Each one of us is the result of a thought of God’.”
Lamenting the tragic rationale that renders an unborn child a commodity, devoid of any innate value, bishops expressed grave concern at the imposition of dramatic changes to abortion legislation in Northern Ireland, planned by the Westminster Parliament for 21 October, including a period of unregulated access to abortion in the case of unborn children up to 28 weeks of pregnancy.
In conclusion, bishops said, “Every voter and every political representative should be very clear that abortion is a brutal violation of the precious gift of life. The freedom of conscience of healthcare professionals needs to be respected and they should not be required to lend their support to an action which conflicts with their commitment to uphold life.
“To describe abortion as either healthcare or a human right is to twist language and to misrepresent the true meaning of those terms. An unborn baby is every bit as human as a growing toddler, a teenager or a grandparent.
“A truly compassionate society chooses life.”
For the full statement click here.
ENDS
