The Irish bishops have called on journalists to exercise “moral judgement” in the way they cover abortion stories.The bishops were commenting on the recent ‘D’ case.
“The media too have a responsibility to exercise moral judgement in the often invasive way that they pursue vulnerable family members in covering abortion related stories,” they said in a joint statement at the conclusion of their June meeting in Maynooth.
The bishops also raised concern over claims that statutory agencies were funding abortions outside the state. The bishops said the matter “required clarification.”
The fact that in many countries today abortion is a “service” that is “legal” and “socially acceptable” did not alter the reality that direct abortion was “gravely contrary to the moral law”, they said quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “There is no reason that can justify the taking of the life of the unborn.”
The bishops went on: “All human beings, no matter how precarious their existence, should have their right to life upheld. To lessen this protection on the basis of an analysis of the quality of life would have grave consequences, not least for the future safety and protection of an unborn child with disabilities.”
The bishops sympathised with the suffering and anguish of women caught in crises pregnancy situations, and said they were praying for them and their families. They encouraged women experiencing difficulties while pregnant to approach Cura, the Catholic crises pregnancy agency.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, the bishop of Dromore, Dr John McAreavey complained about recent calls in Westminster for UK abortion laws to be extended to Northern Ireland.
He said the bishops had made it clear in negotiations that they were utterly opposed to the introduction of abortion in Northern Ireland and said the issue should be one for the Northern Ireland Assembly and not for Westminster.
Five bishops attended yesterday’s press conference:
Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Archbishop Dermot Clifford;
the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Bishop Colm O’Reilly;
the Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora, Bishop Martin Drennan;
the Bishop of Dromore, Bishop John McAreavey;
the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Bishop Raymond Field.
Monsignor James Cassin, Executive Secretary to the Bishops’ Commission for Education, Fr Timothy Bartlett of the Bishop’s Secretariat and, Mr Brendan O’Reilly, Executive Secretary to the Bishops’ Commission for Catechetics were also present.
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