Scottish Catholic Observer

In the wake of the tragic death of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar and her unborn baby in a Galway hospital, a parliamentary committee is taking evidence ahead of plans to legislate for abortion in Ireland.

Senior Catholic clergyman Bishop Christopher Jones of Elphin (above), who is representing the Irish bishops in discussions with the government on the issue, told the Oireachtas Health Committee that the Catholic Church ‘has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of the mother, or the life of the mother to that of the child.’

“This coincides with our belief in the Church, based on human reason, and affirmed by sacred scripture, that the life of a mother and her unborn baby are both sacred,” the bishop said.

Speaking in the final day of hearings, Bishop Jones said other options were available to the government that did not involve legislating for abortion.

“These include the option of appropriate guidelines, which continue to exclude the direct and intentional killing of the unborn, or a referendum to overturn the X case judgment,” the bishop said. “We believe both these options should be fully explored by the Oireachtas.”