Schools Page
Post Abortion Referendum Reflection
It
is the clear and consistent teaching of the Catholic Church that human life is
sacred from the moment of conception to natural death. The present Holy
Father’s Encyclical The Gospel of Life
published in 1995 has reconfirmed this teaching. “Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing
of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult,
an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is
dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either
for himself or herself or for another person entrusted to his or her care, nor
can he or she consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any
authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action.”(Gospel of Life.
Par. 57). “ The Church has always taught and continues to teach that the
result of human procreation, from the first moment of its existence, must be
guaranteed that unconditional respect which is due to the human being in his or
her totality and unity as body and spirit: The
human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of
conception; and therefore from that same moment his or her rights as a
person must be recognised, among which in the first place is the inviolable
right of every innocent human being to life.”(Ibid. par.59).
The recent Referendum, held in Ireland, on the
issue of abortion and the Constitutional protection guaranteed to the unborn and
the mother in article 40.3.3. of the Irish Constitution, was an attempt to
copperfasten the right to life of the unborn in the face of the Supreme
Court’s interpretation of that article. An amendment would have been added
which, while respecting the right to life of the unborn from the moment of
conception as contained in Art. 40.3.3. and the equal right to life of the
mother, would have forbidden and criminalised the destruction of human life
after implantation in the womb. This was consistent with the teaching of the
Church as stated in The Gospel of Life
which defined abortion as: “ the
deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human
being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to
birth”. (par. 58).
The amendment was not carried in the Referendum.
In my opinion it was an opportunity lost. However, the teaching of the Church is
clear. We must always choose and protect life. No human law, no matter how
enacted, can ever legitimise the taking of innocent human life. It is incumbent
on us all, those of us who have received life to the full in Christ Jesus, to
continue to defend this most fundamental of all rights, the right to life. Let
us not be afraid to stand up and be counted on this issue and let our constant
prayer be that life at all stages, from conception to natural death, be
cherished and defended. In the defence of unborn life and the care necessary for
pregnant mothers we must be vigilant at all times and make the services of the
Church agency of CURA available to all who are in need.
I take this occasion to thank all in the Diocese
of Cloyne who have worked so diligently in the cause of human life. May you be
rewarded by the God of all life and strengthened by His Holy Spirit. May His
Blessing be with you and your families. May you always remember that a skirmish
has been lost but the battle is still to be won – the battle between good and
evil, between truth and falsehood, between the culture of life and the culture
of death. “ The Gospel of Life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Lovingly
received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless
fidelity as ‘good news’ to the
people of every age and culture”. (Gospel of Life: par. 1).
+ John Magee.
Bishop
of Cloyne.