DUBLIN, Ireland (LifeSiteNews) – The Irish government and a host of left-wing Members of Parliament (TDs) have rejected a fetal pain relief bill that would have required abortionists to provide an anesthetic to babies over 20 weeks’ gestation about to be killed.
Reaching its second reading last night in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament, the bill was blocked by a government motion which opposed allowing the legislation to progress to Committee Stage.
107 TDs backed the government motion to halt the fetal pain relief bill, whilst only 36 voted to proceed with the legislation.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae expressed his dismay during last night’s debate that the Irish government would not accept a bill to “help a small little vulnerable person from feeling pain,” whilst Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín condemned the cruelty of politicians who “completely ignore the humanity” of unborn babies.
A host of Rural Independents and cross-party TDs had co-sponsored the bill in an attempt to alleviate the pain felt by babies in late-term abortions, but in proposing the government’s counter-motion Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly claimed it would not be appropriate for a piece of legislation to dictate clinical practice in a healthcare setting.
In presenting the fetal pain legislation, politicians had pointed out that even an animal welfare bill passed in 2013 obligated vets to provide pain relief to animals undergoing procedures.
“Ireland’s Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 places an obligation on vets to give pain relief to an animal during any procedure that may cause it any degree of pain, yet no such provision exists in law for unborn babies during late-term abortions,” a statement from the pro-life TDs read. “This is a most extraordinary and unacceptable situation that must be rectified.”
“Based on science, ethics and on humanitarian grounds, we believe that the administration of pain relief should become routine practice before late-term abortions and that provision should be made in the law to ensure this happens,” they continued.
“Out of respect for unborn babies and everyone personally impacted by the abortion issue, it is time to put politics to one side and work together to make a small but merciful adjustment to the new law that seeks to do nothing more than alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering,” the statement added.
Prior to the vote yesterday, veteran British pro-life campaigner John Smeaton told LifeSiteNews that, in his opinion, such amendments are “not a prudent approach to law-making” and “not the right road for the pro-life movement.”
“Rather than save unborn lives, might such a measure lead to more killings on the basis that ‘they don’t feel a thing’?” Smeaton asked.
There is abundant evidence that children in the womb can feel pain, as unborn babies are developing their nervous systems by six weeks’ gestation. By eight weeks’ gestation, they physically respond to invasive medical procedures.
Children aged only 18 weeks have been operated on while in the womb, and pain relief has been administered during the procedures.
LifeSiteNews has compiled a detailed account of the baby’s development in the womb.
Pro-abortion politicians described the fetal pain bill as “insulting” and “upsetting” however, with Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns claiming it represented “sensationalism”.
“This bill represents sensationalism that has no place in any humane system concerned with best medical practice and it definitely has no place in a Republic which voted overwhelmingly for free, safe, and legal abortion care,” she insisted.
Gript.ie previously reported how Cairns said she would get an abortion “for every minute of airtime” given to the papal conclave in 2013, accused Pope Francis of being a “New pedophile-ringleader”, and announced that she looked forward to “cyber-bullying” Pope Benedict XVI when he opened the @Pontifex Twitter account in 2012.
The Cork TD subsequently apologized for “any offence caused” by her remarks.
The Republic of Ireland voted to remove constitutional protections for unborn babies in a 2018 referendum on the 8th Amendment, with politicians subsequently passing one of the most permissive abortion laws in Europe.
Under the current law, abortion is legal for any reason up to 12 weeks. After that it is legal up to “viability” if there is risk of serious harm to the mother, while babies with life-limiting conditions can be aborted up until birth.
Attempts by pro-life politicians to ameliorate any aspects of the 2018 abortion bill were unsuccessful, with the pro-abortion government refusing to include provisions for pain relief, a requirement to bury aborted babies, or even a mandate to save the lives of babies born alive after failed abortions.
In 2018 Father Chris Hayden, of the diocese of Ferns, wrote in the Irish Times that even debating about providing pain relief for babies who are being killed by abortion, showed “how far – and how terribly, terribly quietly – we’ve moved in the past few months” in the previously pro-life country.
13,243 babies are confirmed to have been killed in the first two years since the abortion law was passed in Ireland.
A government review of the legislation next year is expected to propose lifting a three-day waiting period for women who request abortions in the first trimester.