Ireland Celebrates 20 Years of Pro-Life Constitutional Amendment

DUBLIN, September 5, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On September 7th 1983 the Irish electorate added a pro-life amendment to our Constitution, thus ensuring that abortion could not be introduced against the will of the people of Ireland, as it had been in other jurisdictions. Article 40.3.3 states: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”  A release by the European Life Network says they are celebrating “20 years of success in keeping this Island free from abortion. In particular, we celebrate the lives of the born of that period who might otherwise never have seen the light of day.”  The group noted however that the celebrations are tinged with sadness that successive governments have disregarded the constitution and allowed for the courts to dictate the allowance of abortion where the mother threatened suicide.  Moreover, the abortifacient morning after pill and death-dealing in vitro fertilization are both permitted in Ireland.  (with files from the European Life Network www.europeanlifenetwork.org )