The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), the Republic of Ireland’s version of Planned Parenthood, will begin aborting babies January 7, reported the Irish Examiner. The legalization of the murderous procedure in the predominantly Catholic nation came after Ireland’s president signed legislation passed in December by Ireland’s parliament — which was responding to a referendum earlier in 2018 by which Ireland’s citizens voted by a two-to-one margin to repeal their constitution’s Eighth Amendment protecting the right to life of unborn children.
LifeSiteNews.com reported that Ireland’s new abortion law “is in many ways even more extreme” than those in its liberal neighbor, the United Kingdom, allowing for abortion on demand into the 12th week of pregnancy. Additionally, “a baby can also be aborted until viability (around 6 months) where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the woman,” reported the pro-life news site. “The risk of ‘serious harm’ to health is not defined, and is open to interpretation.”
Many Irish medical professionals have warned that the nation’s fast-track rush to implement abortion will put at risk the lives of the women seeking the procedure. Among the glaring problems are a shortage of medical equipment such as ultrasound machines, a lack of consistent guidelines for the procedure throughout the nation, and a shortage of staff who are competent to perform abortions.
LifeSite quoted Irish physician Chris Fitzpatrick, an obstetrician and gynecologist who plans to perform abortions “when it is safe to do so,” as saying that legitimate concerns expressed by medical professionals are being “brushed aside in a frenzied attempt to meet a dangerously unrealistic deadline.” He added that “we are on the verge of introducing a new termination of pregnancy service, which, if rushed into operation … will pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of women.”
Pro-life leaders sounded off about the new law, promising to continue to fight for the unborn who are now without protection. “We have to face the sad reality that Ireland now has one of the most extreme abortion laws anywhere in the world, and a government that can’t bring themselves to show even a hint of mercy towards unborn babies or concern for the many women who deeply regret their abortions,” said Dr. Ruth Cullen of Ireland’s Pro Life Campaign.
She added that “amid all the sadness for what has happened to our country, the pro-life movement will stand united and look to a brighter day when everyone is once again welcomed in life and protected in law.”