Cardinal
Seán O’Malley has urged Ireland to stand up to the “great pressure” it faces to
legislate on abortion, saying it should be proud of its pro-life heritage according to an article in the Catholic Herald.
His
comments came as Irish MPs prepared to vote on legislation that would allow
abortion in cases where the mother is deemed at risk of suicide.
The
government claims that the legislation will merely provide “legal clarity” for
doctors and codify a Supreme Court ruling that allowed abortion in such cases
anyway.
But
the country’s bishops’ conference have described the proposal as a “dramatic
and morally unacceptable change to Irish law” that would “make the direct and
intentional killing of unborn children lawful in Ireland”.
In
an exclusive interview with Mary O’Regan in this week’s Catholic Herald
Cardinal O’Malley said that changing the law would “encourage” and “condone”
abortion.
Cardinal
O’Malley said: “Abortion is the taking of an innocent human life; everyone
should resist abortion. Ireland has the good fortune, in part thanks to
Catholic sensibilities, that her people have been opposed to abortion despite
the great pressure that they have come under from secularising forces.”
He
continued: “Ireland should be very proud of its pro-life heritage and how
traditionally there has been great importance given to human life. Every life
counts, and I am very proud that in Ireland protection is given to life that is
as vulnerable as the unborn. I hope that Ireland will continue to stand up
against the pressures – I know the pressures are there. Pressure to legislate
for abortion is a dehumanising force in our world.”
The
cardinal, asked if the change in the law would make such a difference as many
Irish women travel to Britain for an abortion, said: “The laws have a function
of teaching what is right and wrong. And simply because someone is going to do
something, does not mean that we have to facilitate it, condone it, or
encourage it.”
The
Irish bishops’ conference last week condemned the idea that abortion could be a
remedy for suicidal depression.
Its
statement said: “It is a
tragic moment for Irish society when we regard the deliberate destruction of a
completely innocent person as an acceptable response to the threat of the
preventable death of another person.”
Cardinal
O’Malley meanwhile said: “If any woman is suicidal, she must be given treatment
for depression. If she has an abortion, there are greater chances that she will
be depressed and suicidal as a result of having had an abortion.”
The
cardinal also said the Church should do more to promote adoption. “I am realising
how negative the attitude is towards adoption… When a woman is in a difficult
pregnancy, she sees adoption as a continuation of her problems… We need to
change that attitude, because otherwise we will never be able to counter
abortion,” he said.
