The joint statement was drafted at a meeting of the standing committee of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference in Maynooth earlier this week and seeks to “reaffirm some aspects of Catholic moral teaching”.
It is up to the individual bishops in the 26 Catholic dioceses whether or not they wish to disseminate the statement among their respective congregations. It is understood that some dioceses intend to publish the statement — which runs to some 500 words — in their parish newsletters.
The bishops describe Ms Halappanavar’s death following a miscarriage last month at Galway University Hospital as “a devastating personal tragedy for her husband and family”. They said the circumstances of her death have “stunned our country”.
The statement reads:
“The death of Mrs Savita Halappanavar and her unborn child in University Hospital Galway on Oct 28 was a devastating personal tragedy for her husband and family. It has stunned our country. We share the anguish and sorrow expressed by so many at the tragic loss of a mother and her baby in these circumstances and we express our sympathy to the family of Ms Halappanavar and all those affected by these events.
“In light of widespread discussion following the tragic death of Ms Halappanavar and her unborn baby, we wish to reaffirm some aspects of Catholic moral teaching. These were set out in our recently published Day for Life message on Oct 7, available on www.chooselife2012.ie.
“The Catholic Church has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of a mother. By virtue of their common humanity, a mother and her unborn baby are both sacred, with an equal right to life.
“Where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are ethically permissible, provided every effort has been made to save the life of both the mother and her baby.
“Whereas abortion is the direct and intentional destruction of an unborn baby, and is gravely immoral in all circumstances, this is different from medical treatments which do not directly and intentionally seek to end the life of the unborn baby.
“Current law and medical guidelines in Ireland allow nurses and doctors in Irish hospitals to apply this vital distinction in practice while upholding the equal right to life of both a mother and her unborn baby.
“Some would claim that the unborn baby is less human or less deserving of life. Advances in genetics and technology make it clear that, at fertilisation a new, unique, and genetically complete human being comes into existence. From that moment onwards, each of us did not grow and develop into a human being, but grew and developed as a human being.
“With many other religious and ethical traditions, we believe in upholding the equal and inalienable right to life of a mother and her unborn child in our laws and medical practice. This helps to ensure that women and babies receive the highest standard of care and protection during pregnancy. Indeed, international statistics confirm that Ireland, without abortion, remains one of the safest countries in the world in which to be pregnant and to give birth. This is a position that should continue to be cherished and strengthened in the interests of mothers and unborn children in Ireland.”