Islamic spokesman calls for No vote in abortion referendum

Repeal of the Eighth Amendment "is not compassionate. It is cruel. It gives licence for murder," Dr Ali Selim of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Dublin's Clonskeagh has said. Abortion without restriction up to 12 weeks was "abortion for no reason," he said.

“Bearing in mind their difficult circumstances, the Eighth Amendment protects pregnant women against taking a hasty decision,” he said. “ The right decision is the decision that one takes when one is not under pressure of any type. That said the women’s social, psychological and economic concerns during pregnancy should be addressed urgently,” he said.

“Terms have been hijacked,” he said. “The pro-abortion campaign argues that deciding to continue or to end a pregnancy is a personal and a private decision” and “should be taken in the context of an individual’s unique life circumstances,” he said.

"On the contrary, abortion can never be deemed a personal or a private decision since it has serious societal repercussions. This country, like many other parts of Europe, is in need of young generations; otherwise, we will be an old nation," he said.

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“Numerous studies have already concluded that the EU’s population is likely to shrink in the coming decades because of prolonged periods of relatively low fertility rates. This falling number of children and young people in the total population could result in labour market shortages.

How can it be progressive when it is going to affect and transform the shape and the structure of our society and be a fundamental factor in creating serious economic issues?

“Legislation for abortion will make it even worse. This situation will affect sustainable economic growth and social life models such as pensions and healthcare services,” he said.

Claims that repeal of the Eighth Amendment would be “progressive and compassionate” were “false”, he said.

“How can it be progressive when it is going to affect and transform the shape and the structure of our society and be a fundamental factor in creating serious economic issues? It will contribute to marking a transition towards a much older population structure, a development that is already apparent in several EU member States.

“As a greater proportion of generation reaches retirement, those of working age will have to carry the burden to provide for the social expenditure required for a range of related services by the ageing population,” he said.

In cases of rape “the compassionate and progressive approach is to legislate for minimising this crisis,” he said. “No one shall kill the innocent,” he said.