Anti-abortion group criticises calls for repeal of Eighth Amendment

Anti-abortion group the Pro Life Campaign has said repeal of the Eighth Amendment would make it "impossible to have any meaningful protections for unborn babies" in Ireland.

Speaking in advance of the March for Choice in Dublin on Saturday, Pro Life Campaign representative Dr Ruth Cullen said she is confident that support for the amendment, which gives equal status to the rights of the mother and the unborn, will grow ahead of next year's referendum.

“There is much speculation at present about whether any referendum proposal would be ‘restrictive’ or allow abortion in wide-ranging circumstances,” she said.

“In reality any form of repeal would deliver the same result – an abortion regime in Ireland, where it would become impossible to have any meaningful protections for unborn babies. The experience from other countries proves this over and over again.

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‘Defiance of science’

“Legalised abortion is public policy in defiance of science. We either protect every human life in our laws or we end up protecting no one.

“The fact is there are thousands of people alive today in Ireland thanks to the Eighth Amendment. That’s something we should celebrate and cherish, not denigrate.

“I am confident support for full retention of the Eighth Amendment will grow and grow as people realise what the alternative would entail and the countless innocent lives that would be lost through abortion.”

Pro Life Campaign activists handed out leaflets supporting the retention of the Eighth Amendment across 21 locations throughout the country in response to today’s march.