Pro-Life Irish Americans Rally to Save Ireland’s Eighth Amendment

People hold up placards during a 'Stand up for Life' rally calling for a 'no' vote in the
Stand up for Life March in Ireland (ARTUR WIDAK/AFP/Getty Images)
Dr. Susan Berry

A delegation of pro-life Irish Americans met with the Irish Consul Monday in New York City to express concerns about the effort to repeal Ireland’s Eighth Amendment that assures equality for both mothers and their unborn babies.

The group then led a rally in front of the Irish Consulate to emphasize the need to protect the Eighth Amendment as the referendum to overturn it approaches on May 25.

In an interview with Breitbart News, Steven Aden, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Americans United for Life (AUL), said that with the Eighth Amendment in place prohibiting most abortions, “Ireland has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.”

“Who has one of the worst?” he asked. “The United States. After 45 years of abortion on demand, it leaves me puzzled why the forces in the Irish Republic would want to change that and would want to emulate the United States and its horrible maternal mortality rate with abortion on demand.”

Aden said Dr. Patrick McSharry (pictured above), an OB/GYN from Ireland’s County Sligo who is in the U.S. earning a Master’s degree in public health, spoke at the rally in New York City.

“Dr. McSharry was there to tell the Irish Consul why repealing the Eighth Amendment is dangerous and a poor decision for women’s health,” he said. “Ireland has one of the best public health systems in the world and does very well by expectant mothers. There’s no reason to change that and put at risk mothers and babies.”

In a special report titled: “Unsafe: The Public Health Crisis in America’s Abortion Clinics Endangers Women,” AUL has provided details of hundreds of violations of state laws regulating abortion clinics — violations that impact the health and safety of women seeking abortions.

“When you have abortion on demand, you get the regime we have in the United States, which is chronicled by AUL’s publication ‘Unsafe,’ and that catalogued 1,400 health and safety violations in hundreds of abortion facilities across America,” Aden said. “You get Dr. Robert Rho who was just convicted last week of negligent homicide because of the horrible way in which he botched his patient’s abortion, resulting in her death.”

Rho accepted a plea bargain two weeks ago, admitting to Felony Negligent Homicide in the case of Jamie Lee Morales who bled to death following a late-term abortion.

“Why on earth would Ireland want to emulate that?” Aden asked. “But that’s what the referendum does. It allows a legislature to legislate abortion and to allow it, as they have proposed to do – at will – up to 12 weeks, which is where most of the abortions take place. And beyond that, for exceptions which are wide enough to drive a truck through, and the kind of exceptions that resulted in abortion on demand in the United States.”

Asked about the decision by Google and Facebook to block ads regarding the referendum, Aden said it could have a “silver lining” for the campaign to save the Eighth Amendment.

“The blackout is unfortunate from the point of view that we Americans think is the fundamental right of free expression enshrined in our First Amendment, but, on the other hand, our friends in Ireland tell us it has forced people to get out on the streets,” he explained. “The ground game for the pro-life forces – the Save the 8thfolks – is so much stronger than the ground game for the pro-abortion forces. So, it may be there’s a silver lining there.”

As Breitbart News reported in November, Ireland’s Life Institute stated the pro-life campaign had been “canvassing door-to-door” at that point over 22 months:

On the canvass, as part of that powerful one-to-one conversation, we are able to explain to them why abortion is never a solution or an option. In fact, we have found that it’s the most effective way to cut-through the media bias; going straight to the people – it’s real, it’s effective and it is changing change hearts and minds.

“It may come down to the 20 percent of folks who still say they’re undecided, and whether the door-to-door campaign and just neighbors talking to neighbors will make a difference in that 20 percent,” Aden said. “I’m cautiously optimistic, and think it will because Irish people are fundamentally, inherently pro-life.”

AUL was among 17 U.S. pro-life leaders who signed a letter urging Ireland’s Prime Minister to oppose repeal of the Eighth Amendment. The letter was hand-delivered to him while he was visiting the White House for its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

“Americans United for Life joins with our Irish friends to plead with the good people of the Irish Republic not to go down the road of abortion on demand,” Aden said in a press statement. “We ask you to uphold the right to life and the dignity of all human beings – both outside the womb and inside of it – through Ireland’s life-affirming 8th amendment. Please continue to be the beacon of hope for America and the world, so that one day Ireland’s exceptional standard for life-affirming laws and excellent healthcare will be embraced by all the nations.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.