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:

“The 8th amendment did not create a right to life for the unborn child – it merely acknowledged that such a right exists, has always existed, and will always exist.

What Irish voters did yesterday is a tragedy of historic proportions. However, a wrong does not become right simply because a majority support it.

We are so proud of all of those who stood with us in this campaign – our supporters, our donors, our families, and our loved ones. This campaign took a huge personal toll on all of us who were involved, and we have been so grateful for their support.

The unborn child no longer has a right to life recognised by the Irish state. Shortly, legislation will be introduced that will allow babies to be killed in our country. We will oppose that legislation. If and when abortion clinics are opened in Ireland, because of the inability of the Government to keep their promise about a GP led service, we will oppose that as well. Every time an unborn child has his or her life ended in Ireland, we will oppose that, and make our voices known. Abortion was wrong yesterday. It remains wrong today. The constitution has changed, but the facts have not.”

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.