Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, has issued a pastoral message to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Armagh on the right to life of the unborn. The message, titled Love Them Both, 

Archbishop Martin added, ‘To be against abortion is not simply “a Catholic thing”. The innate dignity of every human life is a value for the whole of society – for people of all faiths and none. It is rooted in reason as well as in faith. To take away an innocent human life can never be simply a matter of personal choice.

‘In recent months we have been reminded about the miracle of life in the womb – how your heart started beating from around week five, or your unique fingerprint began to form only ten to twelve weeks after conception. That little unborn child who moves her fingers or kicks around in the ultrasound scan is the same baby that will be born and grow further through infancy to adolescence to adulthood to old age – all that is needed for that life to grow, is time, nourishment, love, and a chance to survive.’

Archbishop Martin concluded, ‘When you go inside the voting booth on 25 May, pause and think of two lives – the life of the mother and the life of her baby – two hearts beating; two lives which are both precious and deserving of compassion and protection. Love them both. Pray for both. Choose Life for them both. Say NO to repealing the Eighth Amendment and then do everything you can to ensure that our country will always provide the best possible care and support for all mothers and their unborn children.’

Archbishop Martin’s full pastoral message can be found on www.catholicbishops.ie. Please visit www.chooselife2018.ie for more resources on the unborn child’s right to life, including links to the weekly Choose Life 2018 newsletter.