Pro-life campaigners turn out for Dublin rally

Thousands of pro-life campaigners turned out in Dublin on Saturday for the annual Rally for Life, following the overturning of the Roe v Wade abortion legislation in the US.

Crowds marched from Parnell Square down O’Connell St to hear speeches at Custom House Quay. Speakers included campaigners Eden McCourt and Vicky Wall, and Pro-Life TDs Carol Nolan, Peadar Tóibín, and Mattie McGrath.

Numbers at the rally went into the thousands, with marching crowds filling the length of O’Connell St.

Cork Aontú representative Becky Kealy MC’ed the event, which was the first in-person Rally for Life since the pandemic. She said that the recent ruling from the US Supreme Court boosted turnout for the event.

“Roe v Wade being overturned has really inspired people and gave them hope again,” Ms Kealy said.

The message of Saturday’s rally was for the Government and public to “rethink abortion”, as a campaign for retention of the three-day waiting period before undergoing abortion was launched.

“The three-day waiting period is something that we’re going to campaign for, because it’s what women deserve, and what they need,” said Ms Kealy.

“Women need time to think. We want to retain the three-day waiting period. We will have billboards up, meetings, events, social-media coverage on it, and it’s something that we’re going to be campaigning our TDs and politicians for,” she added.

Ms Kealy said that their campaigning has been energised by the overruling of Roe v Wade, and that pro-life campaigners are “never going to back down”.

“Our whole message is to rethink abortion, we’ve been saying that since the 8th Amendment was repealed, and we’re never going to stop. We’re pro-life: It doesn’t matter how you’re conceived, or what your gender or nationality is, or if you have a disability or not, we’re pro-life for all life. Your life has just as much value as the rest of us, and you deserve the right to life,” she said.