Most voters not animated by the push for abortion

It’s vital that pro-life voters set tribal loyalties aside and are willing to stand up for life, writes Editor Michael Kelly

The results of the General Election are somewhat of a curate’s egg. On the one hand, we have seen the election of many deputies who are pugnacious and unapologetic about their support for the right to life from conception to natural death.

At the same time, we have seen the fall of courageous people like Billy Timmins, Terence Flanagan, Colm Keaveney and Lucinda Creighton who stepped out from the crowd and stood for the right to life of unborn children.

Resurgence

The election has seen a resurgence in support for Fianna Fáil – it’s heartening to see that a huge number of the Fianna Fáil deputies elected are pro-life and defensive of the Eighth (Life Equality) Amendment to the constitution. Some Fine Gael politicians who were vocal in their support for abortion – James Reilly and Jerry Buttimer amongst them – have lost their seats.

It would be foolish to view the election as a referendum on abortion. But, what is clear, despite the attempt by Fine Gael and Labour strategists to make repeal of the Eighth Amendment a major issue, most voters are not animated by the push for abortion.

Some Fine Gael candidates, including the successful Dublin Bay South nominee Kate O’Connell, claim that voters were constantly urging politicians to further liberalise abortion laws. It came up on the door every night, she claims. That still makes it a chiefly Dublin 4 issue.

Views

Ahead of the election, campaigners for abortion surveyed candidates on their views and used a well-financed social media campaign to try to create voter hostility to pro-life candidates. By their own admission, of the 181 candidates who pledged their support for abortion, 144 (80%) were rejected by the people.

It’s vital that pro-life voters set tribal loyalties aside and support those elected TDs – regardless of political affiliation – who are willing to stand up for life.

It’s also crucially important that, in the discussion around the formation of a government, pro-life voters remind candidates that the right to life is a red-line issue.