Chai Brady
Ireland’s Catholic bishops are crowdsourcing for input on a new council that aims to respond to the “very challenging reality” of legalised abortion in Ireland.
A ‘Council of Life’ will be established by March 2019 in response to the result of the abortion referendum – it was decided in a general meeting of the bishops.
“In the aftermath of the referendum it is clear that we all need to foster a culture of care, a society of support, so that when a woman finds herself in a crisis pregnancy she may find practical assistance and care,” the bishops said in a statement.
They will be consulting with those already committed to and engaged with “upholding the sanctity of life in Ireland”.
“The word ‘compassion’ was regularly used in debates leading up to referendum day. We feel that it is important to recognise that those who worked for the retention of the protection of the right to life of the unborn in our Constitution did so out of a spirit of compassion for both the pregnant mother and her unborn child.”
Objection
The bishops also spoke of the right of conscientious objection for healthcare professionals, which they said “must be respected”.
“It would be a great injustice to require doctors and nurses to participate, even by referral, in the provision of services which would be a serious violation of their conscience,” the bishops said.
The idea to establish the council was discussed in the Summer 2018 General Meeting of the bishops.
All submissions in relation to the bishops’ initiative can be sent to info@catholicbishops.ie