Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life and Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute No abortion in Northern Ireland on our watch, say pro-life leaders
Thousands of pro-lifers marched on Stormont on Saturday for the annual All-Ireland Rally for Life.
This year's Rally was held in the grounds of Parliament Buildings, Belfast, to emphasise the importance of the Northern Ireland Assembly in maintaining the laws which protect women and children from abortion.
North says no to extreme abortion agenda
Many of the speakers focused on the result of the recent referendum south of the border, and how Northern Ireland and Malta are now the only parts of Europe which have not given in to the demands of the global abortion industry.
In response to the image of Sinn Fein leaders Michelle O'Neill and Mary Lou McDonald holding up a sign saying "the North is next" following the result of the abortion referendum in Ireland, participants held signs saying "the North protects".Pro-life leaders Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life and Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute told the crowds that the North certainly won’t be next for their extreme abortion agenda.
Tim Jackson (top left) and Jim Wells (bottom right) address the crowds.
Welcoming the crowd to Belfast, Jim Wells, the DUP Assembly member for South Down, stressed the determination of the Northern Irish people to oppose abortion. He pointed out that Stormont’s decision to reject the introduction of the Abortion Act in 1967, has saved an estimated 100,000 babies from abortion.
The most resounding applause of the day was for Tim Jackson, the pro-life leader from Donegal, who was outspoken in his criticism of Sinn Féin’s betrayal of Irish babies. As well as backing abortion on demand in the Republic of Ireland, Sinn Féin has given its support to the campaign by the British abortion industry for its decriminalisation across the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
There were also moving testimonies from a woman called Adele, who shared her experience of being bullied into abortion by an abusive partner, and from Vicky Wall, whose daughter Líadán was diagnosed in the womb with Trisomy 18. "Líadán is our precious daughter. Her short life taught us all so much about love and family and about what’s important in life," she said.
News in brief: