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2nd June 2018
02:35pm BST
"We are so grateful. And we can never repay you. But you should know that, although our hearts are broken, your work was not in vain. We will fight on because no referendum, no popular vote, can ever make it right to kill a child. In time, abortion will destroy itself, and we will take back our culture and our country. This country has lost something beautiful and precious, but we did not lose on May 25th, the unborn child did. They lost their right to life because so many voters were cowed and bullied and deceived, but we will always be their voice. We will fight on for those babies and for their mothers, because no referendum can ever make abortion right. "The day will come when the people will look in horror at what they have approved, and when the culture swings back to overturn this horrific result. For 35 years, you have defended the right to life of every human being. Together, we will continue to do so. because nothing is made better by the killing of a child, and because we are called to defend the most innocent and the most vulnerable even if we stand alone. But you do not stand alone, and this movement has been energised by the huge influx of new members and of young people who gave this fight their all, and will continue to do so.She then went on to thank fellow pro-life campaigners for their stalwart efforts in keeping abortion out of Ireland for a number of years. "Know this too: you have kept abortion out of Ireland for 35 years, and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. That is no small achievement, and you should feel very proud that we stood strong for so long when so many other countries had fallen. We will rise again. We did not lose in this referendum, the unborn child. They lost the Constitution's recognition of their right to life. Many of them will now die in Irish hospitals and in Irish surgeries. But we live to fight another day and to fight for both mother and child. We will never be deterred in that work. "The size of the Yes vote took absolutely everybody by surprise - including the media, political commentators and Yes campaigners (though many would argue they are one and the same). The exit polls provide some insight into why people told canvassers at the door that they would vote NO and then went on to support the repeal of the 8th. "Firstly, RTÉ's exit poll shows that only half of voters support the abortion on demand provision of the government's bill - and that support is likely over-stated because voters always seek to re-affirm their actions. Every opinion poll, right up to voting day, showed that the people are against abortion on demand, but they voted for a measure giving politicians the power to legalise abortion without restriction. "So the people voted to repeal the 8th because they had been told so often, and for so long, that the 8th had caused women to die, that it was causing rape victims to suffer and that it had denied care to women where babies were terminally ill. They didn't vote for the 'pro-choice' position, but their vote will be used to that end. On their conscience be it. "There can be only one conclusion as to why voters lied to pollsters and to canvassers about their intentions: they know in their hearts that abortion is wrong. What most people, including Yes campaigners, thought was a soft No, was actually a reluctant Yes. It was interesting to see many Yes voters express disgust and dismay at the cheering, gloating mob in Dublin Castle, who banged drums and pumped their fists in the air as they screamed for abortion. The full reality of what they have done will become apparent before too long, and will be part of the long build towards re-establishing a culture of life, where both mother and baby will be protected again. "Secondly, voters said they had changed their mind on abortion – not during the campaign but in the past five years. The exploitation of Savita's death had caused a culture shift where people decided they wanted to blame the 8th amendment – despite all the evidence to the contrary – for her death and they voted to remove the 8th despite the consequences.
"The media are largely to blame for this deception, and for embedding this lie in the cultural narrative so deeply that it became almost unshakable. Women will now suffer under an abortion regime which sees not just babies as disposable but which tells them that they are on their own when they need help and support. That, too, is on the conscience of all those who voted Yes and on all those who lied to ensure that abortion be legalised. "Finally, abortion campaigners built a narrative around the women of Ireland living as second class citizens, oppressed and unfairly treated by society. In the final ten days, the scandals around cervical cancer scandal where the State failed women, and two shocking murders of women, may have led to a swell of public anger misdirected at the 8th amendment. The tragic irony is that the attitudes and actions of those who have disregarded and harmed women are only served by the availability of abortion, but that was lost on voters."Abortion does not free women from oppression, but it serves men like Harvey Weinstein and others all too well. Again, that will become clear in the days and years ahead. In a couple of months, abortion cheerleader-in-chief Simon Harris will introduce his monstrous abortion bill to the Dáil. "There are brave TDs, like Mattie McGrath, Peadar Tóibin, Carol Nolan and others raising their voices to seek amendments already. Pro-life doctors are speaking out to say they will not participate in the death of one of their patients. Plans for a new media platform are being put in place. "We are unbowed, because no referendum can ever make abortion right. Abortion campaigners and the government and the media, all think that you will now go away, and be forgotten. That is what they want. They want a clear field so that they can implement a horrendous abortion regime with no opposition whatsoever. We cannot and will not let that happen. "In the coming months we will gather and regroup, meet and discuss, listen and learn. We will build this way forward together. Since I was a child, I have heard that the 8th amendment was the cause of all ills. But the 8th is gone, and now those who fought to have abortion legalised will be accountable for the regime they establish. That needs, not just out opposition but our endless scrutiny. "I was reminded of what St. Mother Teresa meant when she said, "God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful." In his poem, The Mother, Pearse wrote that despite the weariness of much sacrifice: " yet I have my joy: My sons were faithful, and they fought." "You were faithful and you fought. Together we will fight on to restore the beauty that Ireland has lost."
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