At their Winter General Meeting, which concluded yesterday 6 December at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, bishops discussed the sanctity and innate dignity of every human life and affirmed the right to life of the unborn.
In their statement, bishops said that, ‘on 13 December next, members of the Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution will vote on whether the amendment should be repealed and on what, if anything, will replace it.
‘Bishops appealed to each member of the Oireachtas to consider how society can best respond to the personal needs of women within a legal and constitutional framework which acknowledges the right to life of the unborn, together with the equal right to life of the mother. Bishops once more affirmed that Article 40.3.3 has a particular vision based on respect for the life of every person and that its removal can have no effect other than to expose unborn children to greater risk.’
‘Bishops discussed the ‘sanctity and innate dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, as a value for the whole of society, rooted in reason as well as faith. The faithful are invited to read the bishops’ submission in March to the Citizens’ Assembly Two Lives, One Love, as well as their recent “Day for Life” message Fostering a Culture that Protects Life and Respects Women.’
These documents are available, together with other pastoral and spiritual resources, on the web-site www.chooselife2017.ie.
ENDS
