An Open Letter to the People of Ireland

Dear Ireland:

As the son of an Irish father and as the president of America’s largest Christian family ministry, I write this letter with a heavy heart.

Based on the snapshots of your jubilant and celebrating citizens that American media outlets are currently publicizing, one might think congratulations are in order.

But they would be wrong.

In fact, rather than offering my compliments for a victory, I am offering my deepest condolences.

Last week’s landslide vote to overturn your country’s abortion prohibition marks the tragic beginning of a culture of death for the Emerald Isle.  Many who favored its repeal are suggesting the vote has liberated a repressed class of women.

In reality, 66.4% of your citizens voted to enslave generations to come.

Admittedly, I believe that every child, both born and pre-born, is entitled to protection under the law. My opinions are informed by both the teaching of my Christian faith and natural law, a body of unchanging moral principles.

At the same time, my beliefs are fortified by facts and history. As a citizen of the United States, I have witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of abortion on my country. And though I boast no prophetic gifting, I am nevertheless a student of the past 45 years of abortion’s devastating impact on our life and culture. Based on what the legalization of abortion has wrought on America, here is what is coming to your fair land: 

1. A decline in the birth rate.

In late 2017, it was reported that Ireland had the highest birth rate of any European country. Ireland also has the highest natural population increase, which is in stark contrast to other European countries that have plummeting birth rates while also accepting a large number of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. Abortion will begin to erode this healthy balance.

2. The rate of stillborn births will increase, which is a complication that can occur after a woman’s had an abortion.

Currently out of all the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the stillbirth rate remains lower in Ireland despite similar risk factors like single parenting, smoking, alcohol and substance abuse.

3. The rate of abortion for conditions like Down syndrome and spina bifida will increase exponentially.

Currently, Ireland’s abortion rate for Down syndrome, that is Irish women known to have traveled to the U.K. for the procedure, is .06%. In the U.K. the abortion rate for preborn children with Down syndrome is 90%,  and it’s somewhere between 67-90% in the United States. Ireland will likely join the developed world in adopting eugenic and genocidal practices when it comes to special needs children.

4. There is also the increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight after an abortion.

Children born in these situations usually require greater medical care and will put a larger strain on the health system.

5. Irish women who abort will suffer a higher risk for depression, substance abuse and suicide.

There is no evidence that abortion is therapeutic or somehow beneficial to the mental health of the woman, as has been claimed in some countries to justify the practice. Rather, the health care system will likely begin seeing more women with problems related to abortion.

6. A general devaluation of human life will occur, especially in the context of scientific experimentation.

We’ve seen this in the United States through the selling of aborted preborn baby body parts and tissue and the use of human embryonic stem cells in research studies.

I grieve for you, my friends in Ireland. Of course, I haven’t even mentioned the most obvious impact of all: abortion eliminates the potential that is found within every life. From inventors to entertainers and athletes to astronauts, every abortion snuffs out the potential source for cures to cancer, peace in war and songs that will never be sung.

It is never too late to turn back, Ireland. I’m aware of an old Irish idiom that feels most appropriate and applicable today:

“May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.”

Sadly, like my own country, this time, you’ve gone too far, Ireland. 

Jim Daly

President

Focus on the Family

Topics: Current Events Tags: policy, pro-life May 30, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura