AROUND 300 PEOPLE have attended a vigil outside Leinster House in Dublin this evening over the recent high-profile case which highlighted problems with Ireland’s new abortion law.
The vigil was organised by the Pro Life Campaign to express solidarity with the baby at the centre of the case who is being treated in a neo-natal intensive care unit after being delivered at 24 weeks.
Spokesperson for the campaign Cora Sherlock was strongly critical of Labour TDs, who, she said, “have been pushing for more abortion all week [and] should be ashamed of themselves for the way in which they have exploited this tragedy”.
The new law was always about introducing abortion and never about providing life-saving treatments.
The crowd cheered her comments about the Labour party.
Sherlock said that the litmus test of a fair society is how it protects the vulnerable, whether born or unborn.
“The Government’s abortion legislation came with two promises: it would protect life and it would bring clarity to the medical profession. These promises have already proven to be worthless”.
She said that the woman at the centre of the case “should have received proper, evidence-based medical and psychiatric treatment at this very vulnerable time in her life”.
The vigil was called in response to the case publicised in the past seven days involving a suicidal young woman who sought an abortion after being raped.
Caroline Simons, the legal consultant to the Pro-Life Campaign told the crowd that there had been a relentless push for ‘more abortion’ in recent weeks, but said she believed that there was a “strong undercurrent of public revulsion” towards pro-choice groups over the current case.
A special fund for the baby at the centre of the case was launched at the vigil, with money going into a trust towards medical care for the child.
Gardaí at the scene confirmed that they estimated the crowd to be around 300.
Reporting by Paul Hosford
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