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Tóibín welcomes Irish America’s support for Ireland’s pro-life movement, as right to life party shares links with Irish diaspora

New York, NY (December 31, 2020) – The support of Friends of Ireland in America to the pro-life movement –  and more broadly, their support of human rights for all –  was warmly welcomed by Peadar Tóibín, leader of Ireland’s Aontú party, at a global forum hosted by Irish Pro-Life USA. “We at Aontú are also the party of the Irish diaspora,” declared Tobin, in his keynote address at the first Global Leadership Forum, a unique live webinar and YouTube event hosted recently by Irish Pro-Life USA, the non-profit and non-political pro-life group based in America. 

In that regard, added Tobin, “Irish America has played a phenomenal role in the development of this country [Ireland] both pre-Independence and since Independence in the South of Ireland. Irish America had a pivotal role in the Good Friday Agreement, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) in America deserve, also, a significant special mention of the role it played.”

The AOH was represented at the forum by guest speaker, Daniel J. O’Connell, AOH National President who pledged the full support of the influential organization - the oldest and largest Catholic fraternal organization in America - in the campaign to protect the unborn and most vulnerable in Ireland. O’Connell recalled the AOH’s long history of promoting the special interests of Ireland in America and back home, from the rights of Irish immigrants in America to human rights such as legal protections for babies in the womb.

Tóibín said the support of Irish America has been great for Ireland throughout history. Today, there are still causes that need this support, he said. Indeed, Tobin noted how Ireland, in only a few short years, went from being one of the safest places in the world for the unborn to one of the most dangerous.

Guest speaker, Catherine Glenn Foster, President and CEO, Washington-DC-based Americans United for Life, also pledged continuing support for “our allies” in Ireland in the promoting of a universal culture of life. The doors of AUL were always open to Irish supporters, recalled Foster at the Forum, as she laid out how a string of recent pro-life legal victories in America was a positive sign for the movement, showing a welcome new vitality in the culture of life.   

The Forum, hosted by Irish Pro-Life USA, was opened with a prayer and presentation by Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, the well-known pro-life activist with Red Rose Rescues who has visited Ireland. Fr. Imbarrato, who has applied for Irish citizenship, urged campaigners in Ireland to be courageous. He also said he was encouraged by signs that the Catholic Church in Ireland was still a vital presence in the lives of the faithful, a sign that could be transformed into even greater pro-life activism on the ground. 

Guest speaker, Chris Slattery, founder and president of the long established pro-life EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers in the Bronx, also pledged his organization’s support for the pro-life movement in Ireland. Slattery said much work has to be done everywhere in the pro-life movement, including supporting mothers and families who need material and charitable assistance. EMC reports it has saved 43,000 innocent children from abortion because of its missions and services.

The Forum was hosted on December 9 with attendees following the event from throughout the US, Ireland and other parts of the world, via a live webinar and YouTube, and by phone.

  


 

John Aidan Byrne

  


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