Pro-life rally demands Irish Govt address ‘spiralling abortion rates’

Thousands have marched in Dublin urging the Government to act in response to the “heartbreaking” escalation in abortions.

Rally for Life campaigners spotlighted the latest figures from the Department of Health, which show that 10,033 abortions were carried out in 2023 – almost a quarter more than the previous year.

Overall, abortions have rocketed by 250 per cent since the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) repealed the Republic’s pro-life laws five years ago.

‘Cheerleader for abortion’

The campaign group said: “We’re marching to demand the government acts as the heartbreaking rise in abortions continues – 10,000 abortions in 2023 alone.”

Organiser and keynote speaker Niamh Uí Bhriain told the gathering that “a society that decides that the most helpless of all its citizens can be deprived of their fundamental right is a broken culture”.

After the march, she called on the Government “to stop acting as a cheerleader for abortion and instead set up a taskforce to see why these numbers are rising so fast”.

Coverage of Rally for Life on RTÉ News, 6th July 2024 pic.twitter.com/iSqhFormSQ

— Rallyforlife (@theRallyforLife) July 17, 2024

Sanctity of life

Roman Catholic Bishop Elphin Kevin Doran described the march as “a significant political act which draws attention once again to the evil of abortion”.

Commenting on the rise in the number of abortions, he said: “These are not just statistics; they are innocent human beings, each with his or her own unique identity.”

He added: “Why is it that, in our society, we hesitate to rejoice in the gift of life. Of course, it is not always easy to see pregnancy as a gift, but could it be that our society is becoming conditioned to see pregnancy as a problem?”