Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy. Bishop Brendan Leahy has criticised the triumphalism of pro-abortion campaigners as laws come into force providing wide access to terminations.
In an end of year message, the Bishop of Limerick criticised those who have been celebrating legislation that will lead to the deaths of many Irish unborn children.
“A large percentage of those who voted for repealing the Eighth would not, I suspect, identify with the celebration, the almost triumphant celebration, of the introduction of abortion legislation in the Oireachtas.
“They would not be at one with the indifference that this celebration may suggest there is in Ireland to the child in the womb,” he said.
Dr Leahy appealed “for a basic sense of decency in our rhetoric around the introduction of abortion into the State.
“Convinced though many may be that it is a positive step in terms of women’s rights, any sense that abortion is a progressive step for our country, for what we stand for as a nation, is misplaced,” he said.
He also warned that people should not allow the legalisation of abortion to make it the default choice for women experiencing crises pregnancies.
He said that the May referendum on the Eighth Amendment marked a watershed.
“We have now as a nation decided to remove the right of babies in the womb to live their lives to the full.
“We are now about to begin the taking of those lives indiscriminately,” he said.
Bishop Leahy said he realises that there are many reasons people voted for the repeal of the right to life of the unborn child “not least the recognition of the hardship women have to endure in crisis pregnancies”.
Response
However, he said: “regardless of what way anyone voted and the reasons people had for voting as they did, it now behoves us all to do our part to make sure that abortion is not the default response that characterises people in Ireland when crisis pregnancies arise.
“As a society, we need to recognise that while legislation now provides for abortion, it is not primarily what we want and our moral compass must steer us in an entirely different direction. We must think of the possibilities of life and the love it can bring.
Dr Leahy said that “the question for us as a society is whether we still want to promote a culture of life that listens also to the child. I believe there is still a majority of people in Ireland who subscribe to a culture of the protection of the life of the unborn but many of those also subscribe to a culture of choice.
“We cannot let the child be swept away lightly when making these hard decisions,” he said.