Churches united to oppose abortion law change in Republic
THE Methodist Church in Ireland has come out strongly against moves to make abortion easier in the Irish Republic.
Its stance is backed by the other main Churches in Ireland, with Presbyterian and Catholic senior clergy also issuing statements in recent weeks.
It follows recent developments in the Dail where a joint Oireachtas committee recommended the repeal of the eighth amendment of the Irish Constitution giving equal right to life of the unborn child and the mother.
This effectively bans terminations in the Republic in all but very limited circumstances.
A referendum on abortion is likely to be held in the Republic in May, asking Irish citizens if the eighth amendment should be maintained or removed.
The Oireachtas committee has backed the removal of the eighth amendment to legislate for unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Methodist council on social responsibility underlined that the Church has “consistently been against abortion on demand”.
“We would urge that abortion is seen as a last resort. Any provision of an abortion service does not mean that it has to be availed
Letter: Rev Norman Hamilton
of, and there should be no pressure to do so,” it said.
However, the council underlined that the Methodist Conference, the Church’s ruling body, had previously stated that abortion was permissible in cases of medical or psychiatric emergency where the mother’s life was endangered, or in other cases “where there is risk of grave injury to the physical or mental health of the mother, in cases of rape or incest as well as fatal foetal abnormality, or where it is incapable of survival”.
Earlier this month two former Presbyterian Moderators wrote a joint letter to TDs in Leinster House expressing their grave concerns about the Oireachtas committee’s recommendation to legalise abortion on request until 12 weeks of pregnancy, and after 12 weeks on health grounds.
The Very Revd Dr Trevor Morrow and the Very Revd Norman Hamilton, who is the current chairman of the Church’s council for public affairs, stressed that the Presbyterian Church “holds a strongly pro-life position, while recognising that there can be very exceptional circumstances where the termination of pregnancy may be necessary”.
They added: “In recent decades, practices of abortion have been legalised in the West which represent a tragic reversal of the process by which we have learned to value and protect those whom Jesus described as ‘the least’ among us.”
Meanwhile, in his New Year pastoral message, Catholic Primate Archbishop Eamon Martin urged voters to reject any repeal of the eighth amendment, and to lobby their politicians.
He said: “As citizens committed to the common good, you have a democratic right to make your views known to our public representatives.
“Despite the strong pressures to remain silent, do not be afraid to witness to the equality of all life, in private conversations and public discussions in the coming months.” METROPOLITAN Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has called domestic abuse a “pernicious problem” as the Duchess of Cornwall was shown innovative technology keeping victims safe.
Camilla was given a demonstration of a secret device on a visit to Met Police offices in Lambeth, south London, which uses the latest global tracking and location capabilities to help police locate the person in distress and provide a rapid response.
Camilla saw communications supervisor Steve Vaughan respond to a fictitious alert, showing a woman’s location and the criminal record of her partner and his car details.
Since its UK launch in 2011, TecSOS has given more 13,000 high-risk domestic abuse victims added security and been activated almost 1,900 times.