Several thousand pro-life advocates attended the annual March for Life in Dublin’s city centre on 6 May. The following report is by Pro-Life Campaign manager, Eilís Mulroy:
“The event was a tremendous success and has rallied pro-life citizens just a month out from very important local and European elections. A key theme of the March was to use your vote to support pro-life candidates. Last year, there were over 10,000 abortions in Ireland – a staggeringly high number and a massive increase on the pre-2019 numbers of women who travelled to England for an abortion.
“The march featured great speakers including pro-life independent deputy Carol Nolan; Oxford medical doctor and ethicist Dr Calum Miller; communications officer for ADF International Lois McLatchie; and, Students for Life outreach officer Melissa Byrne. Anna Buday, voice for parents caring for children with complex medical needs and mother of a child who has Down Syndrome, also spoke to the assembled crowd.
“Annual events like the March for Life are crucial to drive home the message to political representatives and the wider media in Ireland that pro-life citizens haven’t gone away. In the 2018 referendum, one-third of the electorate cast their votes to oppose the introduction of abortion and to preserve our life-saving Eighth Amendment that was responsible for saving over 100,000 lives since 1983. Many more thousands of people voted yes in the belief they were voting to end ‘hard cases’ and are fundamentally uncomfortable with the extremely pervasive abortion regime which has arisen since then.
“Despite this large coalition of people who could be considered broadly pro-life, the political and media class have tried to put the seal on the existence of a radical abortion policy. The only criticism or dissent which is tolerated by the media and government are calls for the abortion laws to be made even more extreme and unrestrictive. A recent State-funded documentary produced and aired by broadcaster RTÉ, was shameless in its calls for a more liberal abortion regime, attempting to put pressure on the government to act on the deeply flawed and one-sided report made to the Minister for Health last year.
“As such, it is critical that pro-life citizens become engaged in making serious political waves and holding our political leadership to account. No politician should be allowed a free-hand to vote for extreme pro-abortion measures without the risk of losing potentially hundreds if not thousands of pro-life votes in their constituency. We are currently producing a comprehensive list of the stances of all candidates in the upcoming elections on abortion, and will heavily promote our user-friendly database throughout the next month before polling day.”
Caption: Top from left to right: Bishop Martin Hayes of Kilmore, Eilís Mulroy and Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly SMA of Cashel & Emly. Mid left: Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin & Apostolic Administrator of Achonry; Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Apostolic Administrator of Dromore. Remaining: attendees at the March for Life on 6 May 2024, courtesy of the Pro Life Campaign.
ENDS
