The Rally for Life in Dublin city centre (4 July) was an outstanding success. Precious Life organised buses from all across Northern Ireland to take people to the ‘Rally for Life’. They joined with thousands of other people from all around Ireland, and abroad, gathered at Parnell Square.

The colour and the enthusiasm of the crowd grabbed the attention of thousands of Dublin shoppers on a busy Saturday afternoon in Ireland's Capital. Streets were closed to traffic by the police to accommodate the massive crowd and the rally participants took full advantage dancing and singing as they walked to the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann). There they were addressed by numerous pro-life speakers including Director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth.

Speaking after the Rally, Bernadette Smyth said, “The turnout was far beyond expectations, I am thrilled with how the day went. The rally was a wonderful display and there was a jubilant atmosphere as thousands gathered with balloons, flags, banners and music to ‘Celebrate Life’. We should be proud that - at a time when abortion has become the norm in so many other countries around the world - Ireland still protects and cherishes her unborn children.”

Mrs Smyth added, “Behind the carnival-like atmosphere we had a very serious message. I spoke at the Rally about how Ireland’s pro-life ethos is under attack. These threats are coming on many fronts - in the European Courts; from the Lisbon Treaty; and from United Nations organisations like CEDAW. Recent developments the Republic of Ireland in relation to euthanasia and human embryo experimentation show the need for a strong and vocal pro-life movement.”

“In Northern Ireland Precious Life is currently battling against an attempt to legalise abortion ‘through the back door’. Our Department of Health has issued guidelines on ‘Termination of Pregnancy’ that misinterpret the law, and we will not let up in our campaign to have these guidelines scrapped.”

“We need to be informed, prepared and willing to tackle all these threats by speaking out and educating the public” she said.

Bernadette Smyth concluded, “This rally has given another huge boost to the pro-life cause in Ireland. Precious Life’s plans are already well under way for next year’s Rally for Life to be in held in Belfast. It is very important that the public, and the governments, see a united display every year - one that shows the extent of pro-life support in Ireland, north and south.”

Just before 2pm on Saturday, the sun burst through the clouds which had gathered over Dublin all morning, and an enormous cheer went up from the Rally for Life. Thousands of pro-life people, of all ages, set off through Dublin ’s busy city centre in a colourful and lively pro-life march which another rise in numbers rallying against abortion.

“We had face-painting and balloons for the kids, music and banners and a really enthusiastic crowd, ” said De Eoghan de Faoite of the Rally’s organizing committee. “It was superb to see just how many people came out to support the right-to-life and to Keep Ireland Abortion-free. ” Saturday’s event was an All-Ireland Rally, organised by pro-life groups both North and South, including Youth Defence, the Life Institute and Precious Life.

Keeping Ireland abortion-free was the theme for the day, but the Rally organizers emphasized that threats to the right-to-life were now coming in myriad forms right across Ireland. “We’re dealing with an attempt by the Department of Health in the north to introduce abortion on broad grounds by attempting to introduce new so-called abortion guidelines, ” said Bernie Smyth of Precious Life, who organised busses to the Rally in Dublin.

Dr Eoghan De Faoite also pointed to the push for embryo research in UCC, the abortion case being sponsored by the Irish Family Planning Association before the European Court of Justice, the Health Service Executive ’s recent comments regarding abortion and disabled children, as serious matters of concern. “The majority of people in this country are pro-life,” he affirmed. “But we need to make sure our voices are heard, since together we are the voice for the voiceless. ”

At the rally’s conclusion at Dáil Éireann, the huge crowd cheered speakers, from Ireland, Scotland and the US, who urged them to be active on pro-life issues. Niamh U í Bhriain of the Life Institute told the crowd that they were sending an important message to politicians. “We will not falter and we will not fail, not while our children’s lives depend on it. We will stand together, work together, and pray together and we will keep Ireland abortion-free, ” she said to sustained applause.

L’Angelus – a popular Cajun Rock band – performed at the beginning of the Rally for Life and at the 'Celebrate Life' event that evening, which was also be addressed by Norma McCorvey. Ms McCorvey, from Dallas, Texas who was the plaintiff in the Roe V Wade decision of the US Supreme Court, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. In 1995 she became a pro-life Christian. She then went on record to say she never had an abortion and is seeking to overturn her case that made abortion legal. Norma ’s story has been called the “most dramatic conversion stories ever told in the history of the global abortion debate ”.

Source: Rally for Life.net


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