Senior Government figures have made clear they will
proceed to legislate for limited abortion and will not be influenced by
Catholic bishops’ description of the planned law as “morally
unacceptable”.
The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland,
Cardinal Seán Brady, yesterday warned TDs they had a “solemn duty” to
oppose the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, which he said would
result in “direct intentional killing”.
A spokesman for Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the
Coalition would continue to move ahead with the proposed legislation,
the broad outline of which was published this week.
“We’re aware of the
statement. The Government is proceeding to legislate as it’s required to
do,” he said.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the bishops were
entitled to express their point of view but TDs had a responsibility to
legislate. “The laws of this country are made by those of us who are
elected by the people and are charged with that responsibility,” he
said.
“For 21 years now legislators have failed to
legislate for a Supreme Court decision which set down what was lawful
and what wasn’t lawful in circumstances where a pregnant woman’s life is
at risk.”
Mr Gilmore’s party colleague Anne Ferris also
said the bishops had a democratic right to make their statement but her
view was that the Catholic hierarchy did not have “any moral high ground
to stand on”.
Ms Ferris said the Catholic hierarchy “had to
be dragged kicking and screaming to admit what some men of the cloth did
to children for many years, and forced to apologise for it”.
She said the hierarchy would like a return to
the Ireland of the 1940s and 1950s, “where things were hidden in our
towns and villages and very terrible things were happening to women”.
She added: “If Jesus Christ were on this Earth
today he wouldn’t be turning a blind eye to the injustice that women
have to go through.”
Cardinal Brady said he hoped a referendum would
be held and signalled a possible legal challenge to the Bill as one
option. He was speaking after the release by the bishops of a statement
describing the Bill as “unnecessary”.
The Irish healthcare system must ensure
“complete respect for the sacredness of the life both of the mother and
her unborn baby”, the bishops stated.
“The Bill as outlined represents a dramatic and
morally unacceptable change to Irish law and is unnecessary to ensure
that women receive the life-saving treatment they need during
pregnancy,” the statement continued.
“Accordingly, at this crucial time, it is essential that all who share these beliefs make them clear to their legislators.”