Thousands Gathered for Ireland's Rally for Life March
- Updated Jul 10, 2019
Thousands of anti-abortion activists gathered in Dublin, Ireland over the weekend for the annual Rally for Life.
According to the Irish Times, demonstrators marched with banners that said, “Abortion steals hope” and “the future is pro-life.” They chanted, “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho Simon Harris has to go.”
Marchers were referring to Simon Harris, the Irish politician who serves as the Minister for Health in Ireland.
The Life Institute, Precious Life and Youth Defence organized the rally, marking its 12th year in Ireland. According to the Irish Times, organizers told reporters the turnout for the rally showed that the “commitment to the pro-life cause had not diminished.”
Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute, called May 25, 2018 – the day a referendum was made on the Eighth Amendment – as “the most shameful day in Irish history.”
In May 2018, 66.4 percent of voters approved repealing the eighth amendment. About 34 percent voted no. The eighth amendment originally granted an equal right to life to the mother and the unborn child, the Irish Times reports.
“It is not our shame, because our hands are clean. You did not vote for this and you do not bear that shame. Instead, that shame should be felt by Simon Harris, by Leo Varadkar, by the Irish media, who were the Yes campaign . . . This cruel abortion regime is a stain on what was once a proud pro-life nation,” Ùi Bhriain said.
“We may have lost a battle but our cause will never be defeated,” she added.
Archbishop Eamon Martin who took part in the march said it remains “as important as ever to affirm the sanctity of all human life.”
“The direct and intentional taking of the life of any innocent human being is always gravely wrong, we must avoid becoming desensitised to the value of every human life,” he warned.
Photo courtesy: All Ireland Rally for Life Facebook Page/Thomas Chavara
