The Moderator, Rt. Rev. Dr. Noble McNeely, along with former Moderator and minister emeritus of Lucan Presbyterian Church, Dr. Trevor Morrow, and the Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev. Trevor Gribben, has written to fellow ministers and congregations in the Republic of Ireland outlining the position of the Church in relation to May’s referendum on abortion.

In their letter, which was sent on Wednesday in time for yesterday’s Sunday services, the senior Church figures said that in light of the Government’s clear intention to introduce unrestricted access to abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, if the Eighth Amendment is repealed, the Church had concluded that “meaningful protection for the unborn can only be secured if the Eighth Amendment is retained in the forthcoming referendum.

Describing the Government’s proposals as “regressive, incompatible with human dignity and morally unacceptable”, the senior ministers explained that representatives of the Church had written to TDs and Senators in January during the debate on the Oireachtas report on the Eighth Amendment, affirming the value of every human life, while emphasising the importance of care for women, children and families in times of crisis. They said that they had also urged them “to work for a truly progressive Ireland where the weak and vulnerable, including children in the womb, are cherished and protected.”

In writing to every active Presbyterian minister in the jurisdiction, the Moderator and his colleagues said, “As Christians, we see the scriptures speaking consistently of the importance and value of human life, including that of the unborn. On that basis, we are responsible before God to honour the sanctity of human life.

“While recognising that there are mixed views within our Church about the adequacy of the current Constitutional provision, particularly around those exceptional circumstances in which the termination of pregnancy may be necessary, we consider the proposals for unrestricted access to abortion up to 12 weeks to be regressive, incompatible with human dignity and morally unacceptable.”

“Having monitored the developments of recent months closely, the General Council of our Church, acting with the authority of the General Assembly, has concluded that meaningful protection for the unborn can only be secured if the Eighth Amendment is retained in the forthcoming referendum.”

The letter concluded by saying, “We therefore encourage Church members to consider these matters prayerfully and with great care over the coming weeks and to vote in accordance with their conscience.”

You can read the full text of the letter here.