Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 13, 2002
Irish bishops disappointed by narrow defeat of abortion referendum
By Cian Molloy
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — The Irish bishops are disappointed at the narrow defeat of an abortion referendum, said a spokesman for the bishops' conference.
The spokesman, Father Martin Clarke, told Catholic News Service that Irish citizens missed an opportunity to tighten the country's abortion laws.
"Obviously, we are disappointed, particularly as the result means that the constitutional protection of the unborn continues to be undermined by the `X case' judgment," Father Clarke said, referring to the 1992 Irish Supreme Court case that allowed an abortion if a pregnant woman threatened suicide.
The March 6 referendum included a measure to end the suicide provision, but the proposal was rejected by a margin of less than 1 percent.
About 43 percent of the electorate voted, a figure Father Clarke called "disappointing." Before the election, some voters expressed confusion about the referendum's wording.
"If there had been a bigger turnout in rural areas particularly, the referendum would be carried. A lot of the bishops said in their pastoral letters that it would be wrong if the referendum was decided by a relatively small part of the population because of a low turnout," he said.
The referendum result revealed an urban-rural divide, with voters in urban areas more likely to vote "no" and voters in rural areas more likely to vote "yes." Voter turnout in urban areas was far greater than rural areas, observers said.
Also influencing the referendum's outcome was a division among pro-life groups. While the bishops and the Pro-Life Campaign backed the referendum, other leading personalities actively campaigned against its passage.
Dana Rosemary Scallon, a former Catholic television personality and now an Independent member of the European Parliament, said the referendum did not protect the fetus from the moment of conception.
"The vote is a victory for the unborn child. If there had been a wording acceptable to the whole pro-life community, this would have been carried by a big majority," she said.
The Irish bishops were expected to discuss the referendum's result during their mid-March conference.
Some voters complained about Catholic schools being used as polling stations since religious images — crucifixes, portraits of Pope John Paul II, saints and founders of religious orders — hung on the walls of some polling halls.
Following an objection at two polling stations, a Bible was removed from view. Bibles are used in Irish plebiscites for voters who do not bring identification material with them; they must swear on the Bible that they are who they claim to be.
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