We must pull out stops to protect lives of innocent

Dear Editor,

There are dates and events that stand out in the history of the world. Such an event is the referendum on May 25 in relation to the 8th Amendment.

The 8th Amendment has granted approximately 100,000 unborn babies the gift of being born alive. Abortion is a worldwide crisis with 56 million unborn lives ended every year, 98% for social reasons. It is somewhat like the slavery crisis, in that the beneficiaries of slavery were the owners and traders.

The beneficiary of abortion is the abortion industry, some of whom gave evidence as ‘impartial’ experts at the Oireachtas Committee on Abortion. While America and other countries are striving to reverse the practice, by closing down abortion mills, there are those in Ireland who see it as ‘enlightened’ and ‘moving with the times’.

We all have utmost sympathy for mothers and fathers who experience difficult pregnancies, whether economic or health related, and also for the baby who has a health problem, and of course for the woman who is raped. One point that is certain is abortion may resolve a problem in the moment, but has more physical and mental consequences than going to term and cherishing the precious baby. Rape is a crime, but ending the life of the innocent baby who did not ask to be conceived is a greater crime.

There are so many accounts of women who were raped and kept their baby and did not regret their decision. Then we have women who opted for abortion and found the rape horrific, but the abortion more a lifetime regret. We need to be vigilant that we do not get led down the wrong path by those with an agenda that is not honourable. what is more honourable than protecting the most basic human right - the right to be born alive.

While the justifications for ending the lives of unborn babies impacts seriously, particularly on those good people who do not want anyone to suffer or be in a bad place, what is really needed is highlighting all the justifications and addressing them and providing facilities and support, rather than ending the lives of innocent unborn babies who do not ask to be conceived; providing education for young people to respect their reproductive rights and see them as the greatest gift bestowed on humans; and researching the failure rate of contraception and why babies have health issues and how to prevent them.

Whatever it takes we need to pull out all the stops to protect the human rights of the most innocent and helpless of society.

Yours Sincerely,

Mary O’Neill, Ferns, Co Wexford.