Biggest Ever Belfast Pro-Life Rally Yet!
The 8th annual All-Ireland Rally for Life began at Custom House Square in Belfast City Centre at 2pm on Saturday 5th July. It was the largest pro-life rally yet held in Belfast as 8,000 people participated in the lively and colourful event which wound its way through Belfast before hearing speakers at the Rally stage.
A major theme of this year's Rally for Life was the protection of unborn children with severe disabilities. In Northern Ireland, the Justice Minister and Alliance leader, David Ford, is proposing to put forward a consultation in September that could change the abortion law in Northern Ireland and permit the killing of unborn babies with ‘foetal abnormalities’, and in cases of rape and incest.
Bernadette Smyth, the Director of Precious Life in Northern Ireland, said the gathering was sending out messages to the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and Mr Ford, “that the lives of the unborn must be protected” at all stages.
The Rally was a clear demonstration that the majority of people in Ireland, north and south, did not want any moves that would liberalise abortion legislation. “Our clear message to the Taoiseach and Mr Ford is that people will not be silenced when the lives of unborn children are at risk,” she said.
Ms Smyth also read out a letter from the All Party Pro-Life Group in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Chair of the All Party Pro-Life Group, Pat Ramsey, stated:
“We would like to assure everyone at the All-Ireland Rally for Life that we will continue to promote a prolife perspective in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and defend against any threat to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland. As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group we pledge to stand up for the unborn child and will ensure that the unborn child has a voice in Stormont.”
In moving and powerful testimonies, three mothers whose children had been diagnosed with terminal conditions told the Rally of their individual experiences, and of the need to raise awareness about conditions such as Trisomy 13 and 18 and anencephaly. They encouraged better provision of perinatal hospice care.
According to Gemma Bradley, a campaigner for Trisomy Awareness, many parents have been told that these conditions are “incompatible with life”. But she affirmed that her baby, Lily Rose, and others with similar conditions are “compatible with love, joy and cherished memories”.
Derbhille McGill and Charlene McCabe also shared their tremendous love for their babies, Clodagh and Myla Faith, whose short lives, they said, had brought so much love and joy.
Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute, told the Rally that abortion campaigners sought to broaden abortion laws by using the distress felt by every family facing such tragic news and such a distressing diagnosis.
She said that the voices of the majority of parents were being ignored in the debate surrounding abortion for babies with disabilities, and that the Rally provided an important opportunity to give those families a voice. Referring to the abortion legislation enacted in the Republic last year, she told the huge crowd that "it was an unjust law that had no moral authority and would be overturned".