A group of Irish Pro-Life USA campaigners have offered political asylum “from an emerging totalitarian regime in wake of 8th Referendum.”
A tweet on Tuesday morning from Irish Pro-Life USA offered assistance to any Irish wanting to leave the country in the abortion vote’s aftermath.
“Anyone in Ireland seeking political asylum in US from an emerging totalitarian regime in wake of 8th Referendum can contact us and we will put them in contact with various human rights groups and NGOs here,” the tweet read.
Read more: Bishop says Ireland's Catholics who voted Yes in abortion referendum sinned and should confess
“Comparing the early stages of the fetus to a so-called clump of cells is like comparing the suffering victims of the deplorable holocaust to a bunch of bones. Man's inhumanity should not reach such deplorable depths.”
Anyone in Ireland seeking political asylum in US from emerging totalitarian regime in wake of 8th Referendum can contact us and we will put them in contact with various human rights groups and NGOs here
— Irish Pro-Life USA (@IrishProLifeUSA) May 29, 2018
As the world watched Ireland said a resounding yes to liberalizing the country’s abortion laws in its referendum to drop the Eighth Amendment last week, an outcome that wasn’t hugely surprising to the pro-life groups in the U.S. that were advocating that the Irish electorate keep the existing ban in place.
Irish Pro-Life USA, which was founded earlier this year and held a meeting with Irish Consul General Ciaran Madden earlier this month, issued a statement to Irish Voice on Tuesday expressing sadness at the huge yes turnout and blaming the Irish government for encouraging the seismic change.
Celebrations at Dublin Castle: 66.4% of Ireland's electorate voted to change Ireland's abortion laws.
“We are deeply saddened but not completely surprised at the large yes vote in favor of repealing the Eighth Amendment since the Irish government manipulated public opinion with bogus appeals to compassion, and by saying the abortion laws it promises will be restrictive and not hurt babies in the womb diagnosed with a disability,” Irish Pro-Life USA founder John Aidan Byrne, a native of Co. Louth, said.
Byrne also took issue with some of the referendum polling that indicted Irish emigrants living outside the country would have resoundingly added to the huge yes margin of victory if they had the right to vote.
Read more: Why the “Yes’ vote won so decisively in Ireland's abortion referendum
“A recent Irish Times subscriber-only poll of several thousand readers has projected the mistaken impression that nine out of 10 Irish emigrants would have voted for repeal. The fact is we don’t know how many emigrants overall would have voted yes to repeal. Our informal polling points to a very large, and a highly significant number, of no votes among Irish immigrants in the U.S.,” said Byrne.
US Pro-Life Group protesting outside the New York Irish Consulate in advance of the May 25 vote.
Irish Pro-Life USA says it will continue to advocate for the unborn from this side of the Atlantic. “We will continue to lobby publicly and through all the various diplomatic channels available to us in the U.S. and Ireland. We don’t plant to go away,” Byrne said.
“The huge number of pro-life Irish in the United States will support all efforts back home to hold the Ireland’s government to account. We will support all efforts to oppose abortion on demand up to 12 weeks, and beyond in other circumstances … an RTE exit poll showed that almost 50 percent of Irish people oppose abortion on demand up to 12 weeks.’”
The Ancient Order of Hibernians in the U.S. didn’t issue a statement after the referendum result, but prior to the vote the Irish Catholic group posted on Facebook, “Pray for Saving the 8th amendment. Thank you for standing up for life!”
Pray for Saving the 8th amendment. Thank you for standing up for life!
Posted by Ancient Order of Hibernians in America on Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, the annual event that attracts thousands to Washington, D.C. every January, expressed dismay at the Irish outcome.
“Americans know from experience that there will be many grave and irreversible consequences to this decision, including the loss of precious lives. We grieve for the great loss this beautiful country will endure and we pray that they find a way to reverse this unfortunate decision,” she said.
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