“We should show mercy and show compassion to these women and offer them alternatives because there is always a better option than abortion”.
This was the plea at a recent ‘stand for life’ rally outside Stormont in Belfast.
Hundreds gathered to protest the drastic liberalisation of abortion law in Northern Ireland.
‘Disregarded’
In July, Westminster politicians voted to repeal Northern Ireland’s strong protections for women and unborn children despite widespread public opposition.
Sarah Crutchley of NI Voiceless, which organised the gathering, said: “We want a life-affirming society where every life is valued and no human death is chosen”.
“We feel this is a really devastating time for Northern Ireland where the right to life of unborn babies is being completely disregarded”, Crutchley commented.
An unnamed attendee said: “I’m here because in 1972 my mother was told that she and I couldn’t survive. She was told the same again four years later – we all lived to tell the tale.”
‘Speak up’
Last week, supporters at Christian Institute meetings across Northern Ireland were urged to contact politicians and take part in the abortion consultation currently underway.
The Christian Institute’s Northern Ireland Officer Callum Webster said: “If we stay silent, the only voices that will be heard will be those pushing for yet more liberal abortion laws. We must speak up for the unborn, who do not have a voice.”
“We must speak up for the unborn, who do not have a voice”
The consultation on a new legal framework for abortion closes on 16 December.