5 years. 31,000 dead. Rethink Abortion.
5 years. 31,000 dead. Rethink Abortion.
May 25th 2018, has been described as one of the darkest days in Ireland's history.
Voters, some threatened by false claims that women were being endangered because of the 8th amendment, others assured by the assurances that abortion would be "rare", removed the constitutional protection afforded to the most vulnerable of our people - unborn babies.
It did not take long for the false claims of the Yes campaign to be laid bare.
Abortion rates have rocketed
A truly shocking 31,000 abortions in 4 years and 5 months. It is heartbreaking. So much for abortions being rare.
- 2019 - 6,666 babies killed by abortion. More than double the number of women who travelled to the UK for abortion in 2018, while another 1,000 may have taken abortion pills illegally.
- 2020 - 6,577 abortions carried out despite the Covid lockdown in March.
- 2021 - 6,700 abortions estimated by the government who said Covid meant not all correct records were kept.
- 2022 - Another shocking jump in numbers: Stephen Donnelly enthusiastically announces 8,500 abortions took place.
- 2023 to May 25th - estimated numbers using lowest year (6577) is 2,740 abortions.
That's more than 31,000 abortions.
Every one a growing, living human being, who had value, whose life had meaning.
We could not save them but We Will Remember Them.
We Will Remember them
On the eve of the 24th of May, we will hold a candlelight vigil at Dáil Éireann, as we have done since the passing of the vote. We remember every baby and mother cruelly disregarded
On the 25th May, we ask everyone to hold a minutes silence at 12noon for the over 31,000 children already aborted under this cruel law
Women Offered No Real Choice
Rising abortion rates means that the government is also failing women - failing to offer them real choices instead of abortion.
Instead, the HSE tells women to flush the remains of their aborted baby down the toilet.
They spend enormous sums of money to try to make sure women can't find crisis pregnancy support - and on advertising abortion.
Babies aborted after a misdiagnosis
Terrible mistakes have already been made under the 2018 ac because parents were rushed into aborting their baby. And abortion is irreversible.
In the Baby Christopher case, a little boy was mistakenly diagnosed with Trisomy 18 and aborted. His distraught parents later learned that further tests actually showed he was perfectly healthy. We were told these mistakes would never happen - yet this catastrophic error occurred just 3 months after the law was introduced.
Now we know that the State Claims Agency also faces two additional cases where it is likely babies were aborted after a misdiagnosis.
During the abortion referendum, families pleaded with then Minister Simon Harris for an opportunity to inform the legislation given our concern that this would happen. Their concerns were ignored. And babies and families have paid a terrible price.
95% of babies with Down Syndrome now aborted
The Master of the Rotunda maternity hospital, Dr Fergal Malone, said that 95% of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the hospital were being aborted.
Malone, who was a vocal supporter of legalising abortion, told the Irish Times that the “vast majority” of parents aborted their baby after a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, saying the percentage reached 95% in the Rotunda hospital, which is one of the busiest maternity centres in Europe.While the Rotunda’s chief said that the hospital “absolutely” did not “advocate for termination”, parents of children with Down Syndrome are critical of his remarks, saying that the “shocking” rates of abortion is “a governance issue” for the hospital.
Michael O’Dowd of Disability Voices for Life, whose son Conor, a photographer and chef, has Down Syndrome, said:
“I believe this is a governance issue for the Rotunda. A 95% rate of abortions suggests that information being given to prospective parents may be skewed towards highlighting potential medical problems, ignoring the positive aspects of having a child with Down syndrome.”
In 2018, just 5 years ago, Dr Malone said that “approximately half” of all parents with a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome aborted the baby – while the other half did not.
Memes to use
