SPUC representatives in Ireland have today made a submission to the Citizens' Assembly - a body of 99 Irish citizens, selected by a polling agency - where the Eighth Amendment is being discussed. You can read the full press release on the SPUC website.Video
SPUC has also released a video, calling on Irish people throughout the world to rally to the defence of the nation’s unborn children. In Ireland children in the womb are currently protected from abortion by the pro-life Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution.
In this video, leading pro-life campaigners in Ireland, and from the Irish diaspora worldwide, explain why the Eighth Amendment must be preserved and defended.
Speakers include former presidential candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon, internationally renowned pro-life speaker Rebecca Kiessling, and former MEP and disability rights campaigner Kathy Sinnott. The video also features Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, a leading Catholic figure in the pro-life movement. I urge you all to watch and share this video and take action to defend the children of Ireland.
About the amendment
This Eighth Amendment, passed in 1983, reads:
“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”
This amendment, which is estimated to have saved more than 100,000 lives since its introduction in 1983, is under sustained attack from international pro-abortion campaigners. The Irish government convened a Citizen’s Assembly to discuss proposals to repeal the Eighth Amendment and thus overturn constitutional protection for unborn children. The Citizen’s Assembly consists of 99 Irish citizens, selected by a polling agency, which has convened under the chairmanship of Justice Mary Laffoy. It is widely expected that the assembly will recommend that a referendum be held on the repeal of the amendment. This will probably be held early in 2018, though it is possible that it may be held during 2017.
Despite false claims, the Eighth Amendment simply recognises that unborn babies have a right to life equal to that of their mothers. Ireland's maternal health record, among the best in the world, also reflects the fact that Irish doctors are trained to treat a mother and her unborn child as two equal patients.
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