Irish bishops declare Day for Life

A decision by the Roman Catholic bishops of Ireland to declare Sunday 12 October a Day for Life, has been welcomed by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. Mrs Betty Gibson, chairwoman of SPUC Northern Ireland, is urging the society's Catholic members and all pro-life Catholics in Ireland to support the bishops' initiative. Mrs Gibson said: "It is essential for all Catholics to do what they can to make the bishops' Day for Life a success. "The fundamental right to life from the first moment of conception is under threat in both parts of Ireland. In Northern Ireland there are the Family Planning Association's attempts to undermine the legal protection for our unborn children, as well as the British government's threat to introduce euthanasia by the back door in its Mental Incapacity Bill. "In the Irish Republic there is increasing concern over the government's policies on the promotion of the morning-after pill as a contraceptive, the destructive use of human embryos and its support for abortion overseas in direct defiance of the pro-life clauses in the constitution. "We are urging Catholics across Ireland to ask their priests to offer Mass for all expectant mothers especially those facing a crisis pregnancy, and for the safe delivery of their children. We are also asking them to remember in their prayers the many thousands of Irish women every year who are hurt by legal abortion in Britain. "We are grateful for the Irish Bishops' defence of the right to life from the moment of conception despite the growing influence in Ireland of what Pope John Paul II has called the culture of death." The Irish bishops are expected to issue a pastoral letter on 12 October, the Day for Life. This will be a reflection on the Pope's writings and will commemorate the 25th anniversary of his election. Source: SPUC NI