The Roman Catholic bishops have spoken with what might be described as a pragmatic tongue. They have declared that they welcome and support the Taoiseach's proposal for an abortion referendum "as a significant improvement on the current unsatisfactory situation". They say it sets aside deficient aspects of the "X" case judgment, including the acceptance of the risk of suicide as a legitimate ground for abortion. They acknowledge that the proposal may depart from their long-held teaching that human life begins at conception, not implantation. But, the bishops are on board.
To say the Taoiseach is exuberant is no exaggeration. The formal statement from the Irish Episcopal Conference is clear: Catholic voters should feel free in conscience to support this measure, "even if it is viewed as less than might have been desired". This contrasts with the bishops' submission to the Interdepartmental Working Group which drafted the Green Paper on Abortion, and repeated to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. They said then that the killing of "innocent human life, at any stage from conception to natural death, is gravely morally wrong".
The bishops, like the Pro-Life Campaign, have come to a political decision on this proposal. They recognise that this is the final - and only - opportunity to row back on the "X" case. They know that the proposal has split the anti-abortion movement by seeking to offer comfort to both camps.
With the bishops' blessing now secured, the Government has yet to decide whether to proceed with this referendum. The Taoiseach is adamant that it will be held in February but the Tβnaiste said last night that if it became apparent that the referendum did not have the clear support of the people, it would be unwise to proceed with it. The alignment of forces for the Taoiseach's proposal is Fianna Fβil, the Pro-Life Campaign and the Catholic Church. The Progressive Democrats are trying to straddle every constituency. Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, was the first to sign up for the referendum while the PD leader in the Senate, Senator John Dardis, said last week that it would be "unwise" to hold it. Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn FΘin and - in the split anti-abortion movement - Dana Rosemary Scallan MEP and the restructured Youth Defence/Mother and Child Group, are lined-up against it.
The referendum proposal from the Taoiseach and the Attorney General has not produced a consensus of the middle-ground on abortion on its passage through the Dβil. As such, and in spite of this endorsement by the Catholic bishops, it is divisive and essentially hypocritical. It could only be advanced because there continues to be a back-door route for Irish women to abortion in Britain. The referendum proposal should be abandoned now and the Government should be prepared to face up to the possible consequences.