Bishop Michael Burrows An influential publication within the country’s largest Protestant denomination has insisted that any debate on abortion in the Republic must keep the right to life of the unborn to the forefront.
An editorial in the Christmas edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette also says that “it would be a mistake to think that the result of any vote in a future referendum on the issue is a foregone conclusion – it is not”.
The Church of Ireland – which at the last census in 2016 numbered some 126,400 adherents – has appeared sharply divided on the issue of abortion, with a spokesman noting how since 1983 the denomination has “publicly questioned the wisdom of addressing such complex moral problems by means of amendments to the Constitution”.
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory Michael Burrows has been a vocal critic of the ban on abortion.
Noting the importance of the experiences of pregnant mothers, the leader article adds: “there is another voice that needs to be heard. It is difficult to hear because it cannot speak – but it still has a right to be heard. It is the voice of the child yet to be born.
“We also need to hear from those who cannot yet speak for themselves – those as yet unborn. They too need to have their voices heard.”