Ireland votes to legalize abortion, repeal the Eighth Amendment

Yesterday, Irish citizens voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, legalizing abortion in Ireland. The Eighth Amendment, adopted in 1983, recognized the equal right to life of a preborn child and his or her mother. The vote to repeal these pro-life protections means that legislators in Ireland can now legalize abortions up to birth for any reason. Following the decision, children in Ireland tragically now do not have the right to life until birth. Estimates are that 10,000 more preborn babies will die in abortions each year.

The Save the 8th campaign issued the following statement today:

Under the Eighth Amendment, Ireland’s recognition of the right to life of the preborn did not prohibit in any way doctors’ interventions to treat life-threatening complications that can arise during pregnancy. Without resorting to violently killing the preborn baby through abortion, doctors have been able to effectively treat potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, septicemia, and cancer, leading the United Nations to rank Ireland as “one of the safest places in the world for a mother to have a baby.”

As former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino explains, abortion is never necessary to save the life of the mother:

A Conversation with a Former Abortionist: Is abortion ever medically necessary?

The pro-abortion side was aided by American billionaire George Soros and aggressive efforts by Amnesty International. The pro-abortion lobby strategized to repeal the Eighth Amendment as a means of advancing abortion worldwide. Since Ireland was one of the most pro-life nations in the world, ending legal protections for the preborn there would pave the way to toppling pro-life laws in other strongly pro-life countries. Throughout the campaign, the pro-abortion side had considerable favor in the media and from prominent Irish celebrities. Abortion activists worked to silence and intimidate pro-life campaigners, including threatening pro-life rape survivors.

Repealing the Eighth Amendment denies some human beings equal protection of the right to life, and is a tragedy for Irish women and children. Without a doubt, the dedicated pro-life citizens who worked to campaign against repeal will now begin the difficult task of once again establishing pro-life protections of the preborn in Ireland.