Loss of Life
Conservatives really can be their own worst enemies.

By David Quinn
March 8, 2002 2:20 p.m.

he Irish pro-life referendum has been lost for the want of a few thousand votes. Out of 1.2 million votes cast, 10,500 made the difference.

It has been lost in part because of a disastrous split in the pro-life movement. Some pro-life leaders managed to convince themselves that what was on offer would lead to embryo experimentation. This interpretation was offered against all expert analysis to the contrary, but they managed to persuade enough pro-life voters over to the "No" side to hand abortionists in Ireland the victory they so fervently sought in this referendum. Conservatives really can be their own worst enemies.

What will happen now? The purpose of the amendment was to roll back a decision of the Irish supreme court to allow abortion on highly dubious suicide grounds. Now pro-abortion groups and political parties are clamoring for legislation to give effect to this decision.

They won't get their way today or tomorrow — the closeness of the vote has not given them the mandate they might have wanted — but sooner or later they will prevail. When that happens we will have abortion in Ireland. At first it will be on theoretically limited grounds, but soon what is limited in theory will become wide in practice and Ireland has an abortion culture indistinguishable from that of America or Britain.

A bleak, black day.