Put humanity before extreme beliefs By Michael Clifford

MICHELLE Mulherin is to be congratulated for her honesty.

One has to conclude that the Mayo TD spoke for many in the so-called pro-life movement when she declared last week that: “Abortion as murder — and therefore sin, which is the religious argument — is no more sinful from a scriptural point of view than all other sins we do not legislate against, such as greed, hate and fornication; the latter — fornication — being probably the single most likely cause of unwanted pregnancies in this country.”

Her comment provoked a gamut of reaction, from outrage to ridicule. Among those who are opposed to any form of abortion, however, it must have been greeted with dismay. These people like to talk about values, and the vulnerability of the unborn, and project themselves as acting in the name of humanity in its purest form. They talk about killing babies. But they studiously avoid mention of their primary motive. Then along comes a kindred spirit and lays it out plain and simple — it’s all about religion, about personal beliefs and interpreting those beliefs in a manner that leaves no room for humanity, and then foisting those extreme interpretations on the whole of society.