By Dave Andrusko
To pro-abortionists, it is an asset of virtually unlimited worth–one (or more) of a country’s leading newspapers that serves as an extension of your every talking point, which bashes pro-lifers and elevates every “hard case” into another reason why protection laws must be overturned.
There is no better example in Ireland than the Irish Times. The newspaper is tireless in its promotion of abortion, most particularly changing/amending/eliminating the “Eighth Amendment.”
(To be clear the newspaper has plenty of company, including relentless pressure from the outside—Amnesty International, the European Union, and abortion activists from around the world.)
Adopted in 1983, the Eighth Amendment says, “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.”
So, as is so often the case, the tip of the spear is a call to abort children who supposedly have “fatal fetal anomalies.” Bills to allow these children to be aborted have failed, but the Irish Times is undeterred.
Take “Poll shows public support for abortion is cautious and conditional,” a story that appeared Thursday, written by Pat Leahy.
To his credit, Leahy acknowledges
For those who wish to see the Eighth Amendment repealed completely to allow for the sort of liberal access to abortion available in many European countries, including the UK, the poll does not make encouraging reading. The Irish electorate is a good way off that position.
Ah, but there is “good” news in the poll.
- 77% agree abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest, or child abuse, according to Leahy.
- 76% agree abortion should be legal when the baby would not survive outside the womb.
- 50% agree abortion should be legal, according to the poll, “where a child would have a severe physical or mental handicap.”
Three quick points. First, Leahy’s story does not mention that 68% believe it should be illegal to abort a baby past 24 weeks. Nor does he mention that not even a quarter (24%) agree abortion should be legal “where a woman believes she would be unable to cope because of her age or circumstance.”
Second, as Leahy acknowledges, “anti-abortion activists argue, citing some examples that it may not be possible to say with certainty when a baby will not survive after birth.” But it is not an isolated example, as we have noted in many stories we have reposted from Irish pro-lifers.
Third, “Severe physical or mental handicap” is, in the latter case, placing a bulls-eye on babies with Down syndrome, and opening the door, in the former case, to what is happening in Britain–babies are aborted up until the final stages because they have a cleft palate!
We’ve reported on the absurdly biased and imbalanced “Citizens’ Assembly,” which is loaded with opponents of the Eighth Amendment. Leahy write that the Assembly
meets again this weekend to discuss the Eighth Amendment, is due to issue its report by end of June and a special Oireachtas [Parliament] committee will then discuss its findings, coming back with a recommendation by the end of the year.
Only then will the Government decide what sort of a referendum, if any, it wishes to propose. Its proposals, in turn, would then have to pass through the Oireachtas before being put to the people.
That is at least 12 months away, and probably more.
When the story concludes, “Taken together, the findings of today’s poll suggest a public that is ready for reform of Ireland’s strict anti-abortion laws but are quite cautious about the extent of any liberalization,” the author is merely saying that you can almost always get majority support for abortion in the toughest of tough cases.
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