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Family & Life Welcomes Reduction in Abortion Figures : 6th Aug 08
Family & Life Welcomes Reduction in Abortion Figures—CPA’s Abortion Claims Challenged
In June this year, the UK’s Department of Health released the abortion figures in England and Wales for 2007. There can be no denying that they were horrendous—a further substantial rise in the total, an alarming rise among teenagers, and a rise in repeat abortions.
The only encouraging figure in these statistics was that of women giving Irish addresses at the abortion clinics. These women are commonly assumed to be residents in the Irish Republic. In 2007 4,686 women gave Irish addresses, thus making it the sixth year that this number has fallen. In 2001 this number was 6,673. That six-year reduction is statistically significant and, as the Pro-Life Campaign pointed out, shows that there is nothing inevitable about increasing abortion numbers.
The pro-abortion groups were strangely non-commital and didn’t seem happy with these figures. Some suggested that the reduction in the UK is only apparent because Irish women are travelling to other countries for abortions. This refrain was taken up by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency in its press release on June 19. After the title, the very first sentence read: “The Netherlands emerges as the only other jurisdiction Irish women are travelling to in significant numbers.” Nowhere in the press release was there any suggestion of achievement or welcome.
It seems to me those who want legalised abortion in Ireland are pulled in two directions. They have to show regret that women should ever need to choose abortion, giving at least lip service to the concept that abortions are not good for women; at the same time, especially if they believe it is a “woman’s choice”, they know that rising numbers of women travelling abroad would increase pressure on the Irish government to legalise abortion here.
Family & Life welcomes this reduction, and gives thanks to God that fewer women from Ireland are aborting their babies. We believe that the educational efforts of Family & Life have played an important part in this reduction, and we are encouraged to redouble our efforts in the future, knowing that even one abortion is a tragedy for two persons. But, let’s recall some of those efforts over the past 12 years: bill boards, beer-mats, cinema ads, two hour-long films, thousands of leaflets and prayer cards, Life Day novenas, written materials for government committees, priests and doctors, and others too numerous to mention.
We have sent sets of Foetal Models to every second-level school, and our Schools Project team carry the message of the Culture of Life to the schools from September to May. It is very hard to believe that these projects have not changed minds and hearts.
We are always aware that without our supporters none of these projects would have been possible. The challenge to build the Culture of Life remains, and with God’s blessing will become a reality.
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