It is with great sadness, but not surprise, that the Ancient Order of Hibernians read of a U.K. Court of Protection’s decision to order an abortion for a developmentally challenged woman despite the protests of the woman and her mother. While we are relieved that a superior court has subsequently intervened to overturn the ruling, we are still burdened with the question of how did we get here?  That the state came so close to terminating an unborn, innocent life over the objections of the Mother and Grandmother validates the concern of the Hibernians and others who have cautioned against legislation that intervenes in the right to life from conception till natural death.  
Opponents of abortion have long counseled that it was a slippery legal slope and opened a doorway to state-mandated terminations of the weak and defenseless; such arguments, long ridiculed by abortion activists, have now been vindicated. Nor is this the first time the U.K. Court of Protection has moved against an intellectually disabled citizen, as the 2015 forced sterilization of a 36-year-old woman confirms. It is no coincidence that one of the matriarchs of the abortion movement, and founder of the organization that evolved into “Planned Parenthood”, Margaret Sanger, was an ardent  proponent of the very same eugenics we see in the original court’s decision. We are surprised that those who have euphemistically branded abortions as “A women’s right to choose” have been conspicuously silent today when the choice of two women, this young woman and her mother, is being overridden by the state; we anticipate that they will now find their voice to say “let’s move on” to avoid further debate.
We pray for this young woman, her unborn child, and her mother. Furthermore, we hope that British political leaders will further examine the safeguards and protections guaranteed to women and children, while moving to update existing laws to better reflect the best available science on fetal development and pain reception.  While the Ancient Order of Hibernians applauds the quick action of the appeals court, we look forward to the release of the court’s reasoning and pray that this heartbreaking situation serves as a wake-up call as to the need for further protection of all human life.
In our Motto

Political Education, Pro-Life, and Catholic Action Committees