Irish cardinal urges Catholics to make known their abortion opposition

December 28, 2012 - The president of the Irish bishops' conference urged Catholics to make their views on abortion clear to politicians as the government considers legalizing abortion in limited circumstances. In his Christmas message, Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, reiterated the church's opposition to such legislation. "Public representatives will be asked to decide whether a caring and compassionate society is defined by providing the best possible care and protection to a woman struggling to cope with an unwanted pregnancy or by the deliberate destruction of another human life," the cardinal said. "I hope that everyone who believes that the right to life is fundamental, will make their voice heard in a reasonable, but forthright, way to their representatives, reminding them that the right to life is conferred on human beings, not by the powerful ones of this world but by the creator,” Cardinal Brady said. “There is no more important value than upholding the right to life in all circumstances." While the government has pledged to introduce abortion legislation in 2013, Minister for Health James Reilly has insisted that his plans will take "full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child."