Catholic Voice

 Over the past six months, I’ve written numerous articles highlighting the fact that although abortion is technically illegal in all-Ireland, the battle is far from over.  “The harvest is great, but the labourers are few.”

 

The Rally for Life in Belfast on 3 July, however, was a clear statement that pro lifers in Ireland will not just roll over and play dead.  No!  We will fight, and we will win!

 

Priests for Life Ireland extend a hearty congratulation to Youth Defence for once again taking the front line in the ongoing fight to keep Ireland abortion-free.  As they took to the streets for their 20^th annual Roadshow beginning on 7 July, young pro lifers in their youthful and unabashed way had a clear and uncompromising message to convey in the streets of Ireland: 

 

It’s easy to become complacent, and it’s easy to become discouraged when we hear pro-abortion reports in the media. But we have to remember, if we really want to keep abortion out of Ireland then it is up to us to act. We cannot leave what John Paul II called ‘the most important work on earth’ to others. And if you do decide to do your bit to keep abortion out of Ireland, you will never regret it.

 

Youth Defence’s Rebecca Roughneen covered the event first hand.

 

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A Roadshow Like No Other

Rebecca Roughneen

Youth Defence

 

It has been said that abortion is the world’s best kept secret – and that it has to be, because the reality would not be tolerated if it was exposed. Taking a major step in exposing that secret is Youth Defence’s annual pro-life Roadshow which has just finished a major tour of the country.

 

Each summer, young pro-life volunteers give up two weeks of their summer to take part in this national pro-life information tour. Some are students; others generously use their holiday time to undertake this important pro-life work. On July 7th, 30 young volunteers, both seasoned pro-lifers and brand new activists alike, met at the Life House to get the show on the road.  Most volunteers are from Ireland, but young people from the USA, England, Poland, France and Belgium also came to learn pro-life activism from Youth Defence. By the end of the tour almost 70 people had volunteered during a packed itinerary of non-stop activities to defend and celebrate life.

 

The 2010 Road show was also a landmark event for YD: it was our 20^th nationwide pro-life information road show – and it’s getting better year by year.

 

Each day the road show team visited a town to hold what we call a street information session. Our pro-life stalls bring the truth about abortion to the Irish public and we give real information about the issue to those who need it. It gives us the perfect opportunity to engage with and debate those who are sitting on the fence or who claim to be ‘pro-choice’.  At stalls from Drogheda to Galway to Waterford, we met people eager for pro-life information, we challenged people to question their beliefs on this issue, and we collected tens of thousands of pro-life petitions. We distribute educational material on the development of the child in the womb, on the harm abortion causes to women, on the reality of abortion and much more.

 

We will never reject abortion until we see abortion

 

One focus of our street information session is showing the photographs of the reality of abortion to the public. We get some criticism for doing so, more often from the media and/or some conservatives than from the general public. Believe me, I don’t like looking at those photographs at all, but the fact is that revealing exactly what abortion is saves many lives. It’s worth everything when, as frequently happens, a young mother comes up to one of us at our street session to tell us that she chose life for her child because she saw those images. Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has continually said that ‘America will never reject abortion until America sees abortion.’ Due to the excellent response we have received on the Roadshow, I believe the Irish public has, and will, continue to reject abortion. That is the driving force for all our work. We must not let Ireland add to the grisly tally of 43 millions babies killed through abortion around the world each year.

 

One of the first pro-life events I took part in was the Youth Defence summer Roadshow a number of years ago and it left a profound effect on me. I experienced first-hand the attitudes that exist in relation to abortion amongst the general public. I learned from experienced pro-lifers how to listen, how to explain, and how to effectively engage with the public on these issues.

 

Ireland is a pro-life nation. Time and again, the Irish people have proved that as a country we will always strive to protect our most defenceless and vulnerable. So, very often, when I am taking part in pro-life activities, members of the public ask me why I bother campaigning on a something that is currently not allowed to take place in this country.

 

The reality is that abortion is an issue that affects everyone in our society. There is no escaping that fact. When I’m manning a street information stall, I meet the mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents and friends who’ve been shell-shocked by abortion. This year in particular, it became apparent to me that men especially are feeling a deep hurt and a certain kind of helplessness, a kind of unspoken grief for lost children, because they are told that abortion is an issue solely about women’s rights. On the Roadshow, the stark reality of the hurt caused by abortion and confusion caused by this carefully crafted lie is palpable.

 

 

 

Most important work on Earth

 

 

My role on the 2010 Road show was as an organiser, and it was with great joy that I witnessed many new, young and eager volunteers who came on board. Over the course of ten days, this group of pro-lifers, ignited with a zeal for the pro-life cause, went on an action-packed tour of the country, distributing over 100,000 pieces of pro-life literature, reports, badges, stickers, balloons and DVDs. We stopped at over twenty towns and cities all over Ireland, and as always, the reception the pro-life message received from the public was very positive. We also had a presence outside of abortion referral agencies around the country, offering real information and help to women just as they are about to book an abortion.

Here in the Life House, we were delighted to hear that the first ever pro-life road show also took place Scotland, organised by young members of SPUC Scotland and inspired by the Irish example!

 

It’s easy to become complacent, and it’s easy to become discouraged when we hear pro-abortion reports in the media. But we have to remember, if we really want to keep abortion out of Ireland then it is up to us to act. We cannot leave what John Paul II called ‘the most important work on earth’ to others. And if you do decide to do your bit to keep abortion out of Ireland, you will never regret it. It’s been my privilege to work alongside such selfless and committed young people, and it has been my honour to be a voice for the unborn child in places where there was no else to speak up for them.

 

 

This feature is categorised under Life Matters