Barbarian Invaders

Throughout her history, Ireland has been repeatedly invaded by people who sought to change her way of life. First, there were the Celts, who, in the fifth century before Christ, displaced Ireland's prehistoric inhabitants. They gave Ireland her artistic sensibilities, as well as her language. In the fifth century after Christ, there were Christian missionaries like St. Patrick. Unlike those before or after them, these missionaries were not invaders. They came, not to take, but to give. And they gave Ireland literacy, and the Christian faith that is at the heart of Irish identity. Then came the Vikings, who caused much destruction and death. They were also responsible for the red hair and fair skin we associate with the Irish. But today Ireland is facing a new invader -- one every bit as destructive as the Vikings. This invader brings only death. Irish law, unlike that of other Western nations, prohibits abortion. While there are signs that attitudes toward abortion are becoming more liberal, most Irish still oppose the gruesome act. But the desires of the Irish people have little effect on pro-abortion activists, most notably a group called Women on Water (or WOW). Their ship, a Dutch vessel called the Aurora, sails to any country that prohibits abortion. Pregnant women are ferried out to the ship, their babies are aborted, and then they're ferried back home in time for supper. The Aurora's destination this week is Ireland. The ship plans to drop anchor in international waters, and shuttle women to and from Dublin. But this diabolical plan is only part of a larger campaign to legalize abortion in Ireland. While abortionists are taking innocent life on the Irish Sea, pro-abortion activists will be suing to legalize abortion in cases of "severe fetal deformity." While Ireland's Attorney General hopes to take legal action against the ship of death, Michael Cox, an Irish cleric, prefers a more active approach. Cox, who describes the Aurora as being on a "murderous mission," plans to intercept the Aurora at sea. He has called on "all fishermen of good conscience and all those with ships and boats" to join him. His plan is to keep the ship from dropping anchor and harassing it into going away. Well, I for one will be hoping that this time Ireland succeeds in driving the invaders away. If these new invaders succeed, they'll kill far more Irish than the Vikings or any previous invader ever did. Their murderous mission -- at that's what it is -- will extend beyond the abortions they perform. They are just the vanguard of what John Paul II calls the "culture of death." The next time your neighbors tell you that we pro-life Christians are fanatical or extremist, tell them about the ship of death. Is there no end to which the abortion industry will not go? We need to be in prayer that Ireland, which is in the midst of rapid modernization, will resist this toxic bit of modernity. They need to know that rising standards of living don't have to include the loss of respect for human life -- and not every barbarian invader will arrive in a long boat, brandishing swords. For further reference: Noonan, Niall. "Dutch Minister Bans Abortion Shame Ship; Crew Risks Prison after Operations Outlawed." The Mirror (UK), 13 June 2001; p. 7.

06/18/01