Politics
Friday January 25, 2008
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
After Successfully Avoiding Abortion, Northern Ireland Launches "40 Days for Life"
By John-Henry Westen
BELFAST, January 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two months ago Northern Ireland's pro-life movement won a victory in turning back an attempt to have abortion legalized 'through the back door'. Now a leading group is launching "40 Days for Life", the startlingly successful campaign of fasting, prayer and pro-life witness which began in the United States in 2004.
When the Department of Health of the Government in Westminster drew up draft guidelines on abortion, Precious Life held a series of meetings with MPs and Northern Ireland Assembly Members warning them that guidelines would change how the law against abortion is interpreted and effectively legalise abortion in Northern Ireland 'through the back door.' In September, a motion was tabled in the Northern Ireland Assembly, opposing the Department of Health guidelines.
Before the debate, Precious Life made a presentation of 120,000 petitions against abortion, signed by the Northern Ireland public.
Bernadette Smyth, Director of Precious Life, described the overwhelming passage of the motion as "a victory for unborn children."
Now Precious Life is promoting a campaign of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, which will run from February 6th (Ash Wednesday) to March 16th (Palm Sunday). The campaign consists of three components - prayer and fasting; peaceful vigils outside abortion agencies; and community outreach. Precious Life says they hope the 40 day campaign will inspire people who have never been involved in pro-life activities to come forward and join the pro-life movement.
The group has already started to distribute thousands of campaign leaflets together with a petition postcard to the Northern Ireland Office to keep abortion out of Northern Ireland.
Smyth commented: "This Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday, communities across Ireland and the UK will be uniting with more than 80 cities in the USA for the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilisation in history - The 40 Days for Life Campaign."
"We will be praying and fasting for the defeat of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill which goes before the House of Commons in February. The HFE Bill is one of the most evil ever to come before Parliament. It fundamentally undermines the dignity and sanctity of human life by allowing human beings to be created and destroyed at will for experimentation. Although the Bill itself does not deal with abortion, it is expected that the pro-abortion MPs will table amendments to liberalise the law on abortion and extend it to Northern Ireland."
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Over 100 MPs Oppose Morgentaler Order of Canada - List Released Today
- National Right to Life calls GOP Platform "Strongest Ever" on Life Issues
- Exclusive: Prominent Rabbi Says Lieberman was Excommunicated and it is Still in Effect
- Comments on August 28 LifeSiteNews
- McCain Himself Accuses Obama of Courting Infanticide
- Two More Bishops Make 8 Who Have Come Out against Pelosi's 'Catholic' Abortion Theology
- VP Hopeful Biden about Pro-Abortion Stance: "My Views are Totally Consistent with Catholic Social Doctrine..."
- Protests and Official Mourning Declared following Mexican Pro-Abortion Ruling
- Pure Utilitarianism: Doctors Justifying Killing Infant Patients for Organ Donation
- Philippines Court Rejects Claims of New York Based Pro-Abortion Group
- MPs Affirm Continued Support for C-484 - Unborn Victims of Crime Bill
- Brazilian Supreme Court Hears Testimony on Eugenic Abortions
- Cells Transformed into Insulin Producers in Research that Makes Embryonic Research "Irrelevant"
- Priests for Life Nine Week Novena Prayer for Election Begins September 1st
Most Read this Week
- Biden's Bishop Will not Permit Him, Even if Elected VP, to Speak at Catholic Schools
- "Catholic" Speaker Pelosi Denies that Catholicism Condemns Abortion
- Cardinals, Bishops and Congressmen Slam Pelosi on Abortion
- Talk a Woman out of Abortion in the UK? Two Years Jail
- Mainstream Media Admits Anti-Family Bias: NBC to 'Gay' Activists: 'Your Victories Are Our Victories'
- Pelosi Spokeswoman About-face: Catholic Church "Clear" on Life Teaching After All - But Catholics Need Not Listen
- American Apparel Defends "Pornographic" Billboards
- New York Cardinal - Pelosi Not Worthy of "Providing Leadership in a Civilized Democracy"
- Conservative Party of Canada Kills Unborn Victims of Crime Act with Gutless Alternative
- Pro-Life Billboard Vandalized with "Joker" Face Paint and Slogan: "Why So Serious?"
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.