Maria Steen
President Donald Trump 
The View
“All of us here today understand an eternal truth: every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. Together we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life.
“When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation. When we hold a new-born in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendour that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world.”
I wish I could take credit for composing this paragraph, but I can’t. These are the words of the United States President, Donald Trump. Can you – even for one moment – imagine an Irish politician saying anything like them?
In what was perhaps the greatest pro-life speech in modern times, Donald Trump finally won me over – and I’m pretty sure many Americans too.
Address
In a 14-minute address, he spoke to a crowd of tens of thousands gathered in Washington DC. He not only articulated in quite beautiful terms the value of the child in the womb – reminding everyone that the Bible tells us that “each person is ‘wonderfully made’” – he also paid tribute to the “strong women, amazing Faith leaders and brave students” who have worked tirelessly for the past 47 years since the Roe vs Wade judgment that legalised abortion in America. He recognised their commitment and generosity, saying that they “embrace mothers with care and compassion”, and that they are “powered by prayer, and motivated by pure, unselfish love”.
Unlike most politicians, as is his way, he connected with the people on the ground, showing empathy and knowledge of what they were going through. He used language that was sincere, unapologetic in its religious tone, eschewing political spin-doctor-speak.
As in Ireland, and most of the Western world, pro-life Americans feel like they are in the trenches. Donald Trump is the first to really recognise and speak to this and pledge to do something about it.
Clearly, a diversity of voices is welcome in UCD – so long as they’re not Catholic. All students are protected from bullying – just not Catholics”
He said: “Religious Liberty has been under attack all over the world, and frankly very strongly attacked in our nation.” Addressing those pro-life activists present, he said: “You see it better than anyone but we are stopping it, and we’re taking care of the doctors, nurses, teachers and groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor.”
He went on to say: “We are protecting pro-life students’ right to free speech on college campuses. And if universities want federal taxpayer dollars, then they must uphold your First Amendment right to speak your mind. And if they don’t, they pay a very big financial penalty, which they will not be willing to pay.”
This stands in stark contrast to the situation in Ireland, where Irish universities, and in particular UCD, seem keen on indoctrinating their students in a culture of ‘wokeness’, talking about the importance of consent, while forcing students – against their wishes – to forego listening to a talk on sex (it sounds like something Establishment Ireland would accuse Archbishop McQuaid of).
Last week’s paper covered the story of the attempts by LGBT activists to block the American speaker, Jason Evert, from addressing Catholic students in Catholic meetings about the Catholic Church’s teaching on sex and marriage.
One of the talks was to be given to students attending Ignite 2020, Ireland’s first intervarsity Catholic retreat hosted in UCD. And so, in the name of diversity and anti-bullying, UCD caved in to a small group of bullies. Clearly, a diversity of voices is welcome in UCD – so long as they’re not Catholic. All students are protected from bullying – just not Catholics.
In the case of Catholic students, the University – supposedly a bastion of free speech and free thought – was happy to join in and legitimise the bullying and ostracisation in an effort to prevent students from hearing a view different from that pre-approved by the university authorities.
Doctrine
The same people who protested against Jason Evert speaking to Catholic students who wanted to hear him, the same people who succeeded in getting a State-funded university to supress the constitutional rights of young people, and in effect, impose their doctrine on others, would be the very ones calling for the defunding of Catholic schools on the grounds that that they indoctrinate their students.
I am happy to report that, in the end, Jason Evert did speak to the students – albeit by Skype, but nonetheless had a very successful talk followed by a lively questions and answers session. What will UCD do? Try to clamp down on telephone and internet-based communications, North Korea style?
Many of the students who experienced the attempts by UCD to infringe upon their rights will be voting for the first time this weekend. In the space of less than two years since the passing of the abortion referendum, much of what pro-life speakers predicted would happen has happened.
Abortion numbers have increased; mistaken diagnoses have been made; doctors have signed off on abortions – despite promises of ‘safeguards’ – without ever meeting the mother and baby.
Pro-life voices have been shut out of the media; meanwhile, we are bombarded with pro-choice propaganda.
We have to endure abortions being carried out in maternity hospitals, with scarce resources being spent on killing babies while mothers and fathers fighting for their children’s lives are given short shrift in a woefully under-resourced maternity service.
The message has gone out loud and clear to doctors and nurses that they needn’t apply for jobs unless they are willing to participate in State-sanctioned executions.
Oh yes, and we are expected to pay for it all too.
Religious freedom is under threat. The culture has become ever more hostile towards those who believe that babies should be given their fair chance at life. So-called human rights organisations are protesting against the pro-lifers’ freedom of assembly and even their freedom to pray peacefully where they like.
Many have been licking their wounds since the 2018 referendum. It was a devastating blow for human rights, for kindness and decency, for the vulnerable in our society.
Rather than stick our heads in the sand though, it is time for us to try to do something to change the landscape.
Every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting”
We must use our votes to support pro-life candidates. Pro-abortion candidates and parties should not benefit from our votes. Change will not happen overnight. It will be a long road back, but nothing stays the same for ever.
If we look to the US and take inspiration from all the good people who refused to give up on the right to life of every human being, perhaps in time we can hope to hear an Irish politician say: “We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve, the dreams they will imagine, the masterpieces they will create, the discoveries they will make.
“But we know this, every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting. And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God. Together we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land.
“We will set free the dreams of our people and with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility and grace of every…child.”
