Dublin, Ireland, Jan 30, 2018 / 13:00 pm
The Irish government announced Monday that a referendum that could liberalize Ireland's abortion laws will be set for a vote in late May or early June, sparking a call for respect for human life from the country's bishops.
"The innate dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, is a value for the whole of society, rooted in reason as well as in faith," stated Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, in a recent pastoral message.
"The Catholic Church, in common with other people of goodwill, teaches that ending the life of an unborn child, like the taking of any other innocent human life, is always evil and can never be justified," Archbishop Martin continued.
The referendum will decide whether to repeal the constitutional amendment that bans abortion in Ireland, known as the Eighth Amendment. The amendment was passed by a referendum vote in 1983, when nearly 67 percent of Irish voters approved it.