The Catholic Church in Ireland has come out in opposition to attempts to “widen the scope” of current abortion law in the country and said that more research is needed to determine the cause of early abortions.
Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Fein, which is the official opposition in Ireland, announced plans for a bill to remove the requirement of a three-day waiting period for women seeking an abortion in the early stages of theirpregnancy.
Over 90 per cent of abortions in Ireland occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
McDonald has framed her proposal as one that would remove barriers to healthcare.
By contrast, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said that rather than facilitating even more abortions, more work should be done to understand why women choose abortion and to help those who are undergoing a personal crisis.
Since 2019 more than 50,000 babies have been killed in abortion procedures in Ireland.
Comparing these figures to the 10,000 Irish Covid deaths, the bishops asked, “Why has this not provoked anything like the same kind of crisis response in the form of solidarity or outreach?”
Many women, the bishops said in a statement, face “crisis pregnancy” alone and largely unsupported.
“We can only imagine the loneliness, the emotional turmoil, the economic difficulties, the domestic violence or the addiction that may lie behind the choice of abortion," they said.
"The most natural thing in the world is for a mother to protect her child. The sadness and regret that so often follow abortion can last for years.”
The bishops was critical of both the media and the state for their apparent lack of interest in seeking to understand why so many abortions take place in the first 12 weeks and the welfare of women who have them.
The bishops said, “We acknowledge with gratitude those public representatives who have courageously affirmed the right to life of the unborn. Unfortunately, there some who seem determined at all costs to widen the scope of the present law.”
The statement was released ahead of the Catholic Church's annual Day for Life on 21 June.
