By Dave Andrusko
NRL News Today has carried many accounts of the battle in Ireland to hold off a pro-abortion tidal wave. (See most recently www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/06/pro-life-alert-from-the-european-life-network.)
As Pat Buckley wrote, “Ireland has been described by the pro-abortion lobby as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the pro-life movement, but there is a new and lethal determination to remove that jewel and the danger is imminent. Ireland is currently under more pressure to introduce abortion than ever before.”
He then explained why: “Following a recent judgement at the European Court of Human Rights known as the ‘A, B and C’ case in which three women challenged Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion, the Irish Government has appointed an expert group to review the current position.”
Those two words-“expert group”—send a chill up and down the spine of any pro-lifer that has been a part of this Movement for length of any time. These “experts” always come up with terrible recommendations, almost always packaged as a “compromise.”
Life zone, a terrific source of Irish pro-life information, ran a piece today that borrowed liberally from a column in the Irish Times written by Breda O’Brien. I would highly recommend that you read O’Brien’s “Ireland must resist following the herd on abortion issue”.
To be on the receiving end of “name-calling and invective “-to be labeled “fanatics” (always “religious fanatics”)- is familiar to our ears. It is O’Brien’s intent to make the case that opposition to abortion is much broader, deeper, and humane than this vicious, tread-worn caricature would suggest.
In the very beginning she quotes from Robert Frost’s famous poem, “The Road less traveled,” offering the observation that “Ireland faces a defining choice, and most of the influential voices are calling for us to take the road well travelled, the road taken by most other countries.” She notes keenly that traveling with the herd provides comfort; you are “making the same decision as many others.”
O’Brien’s essay is cleverly constructed and very persuasive. She offers examples where even pro-abortionists profess to be nervous (even though, after circling around, they always wind up in the same absolutistist position). From there O’Brien offers examples of overheated, personal invective where opponents of abortion are trashed unmercifully.
Then, the twist, which is also familiar to American ears. Referring to the examples of pro-abortion bigotry she says that they
“are out of touch if they think that the only opposition to abortion comes from misogynistic, religious fundamentalists. It is significant that the younger members of Fine Gael [the Irish Parliament] are among the most vociferous in their opposition. Younger people in general are less likely to believe that any decision taken 20 years ago represents the cutting edge of progress, even if it was a Supreme Court decision.”
Her conclusion is just devastating and worth quoting in full:
“It is not as if our nearest neighbour does not provide us with a living lesson in what happens when you legislate for abortion in ‘limited circumstances.’ Britain imports women seeking abortion from all over Europe because its regime is so lax. One in four British pregnancies ends in abortion.
“Is that the road we wish to travel? Or do we have the courage to try to build a society where life at all its stages is respected and given care?”
Your feedback is very important to improving National Right to Life News Today. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha