Recently, I found myself in a clinic waiting room. My reasons for being there were quite unrelated to what I soon discovered was the main focus of the clinic’s work. It took me and the woman sitting next to me hearing five outside calls to the receptionist there to realise that, in the space of one hour, seven early-stage abortions had been scheduled and two performed in that very clinic. Both the lady and I let out gasps of shock when we realised, then sat in silence as the reality took hold. 

In Ireland these past few months, politicians, activists and the general public have been speaking out, for and against, a constitutional amendment to allow for an extension of women’s rights to seek an abortion in Ireland. Abortion is still a divisive issue in a once predominantly Catholic country. However, as the recent referendum on Same-Sex Marriage demonstrated, the beliefs of Irish people are shifting dramatically, particularly in these areas of personal freedom. 

In a country once known for its tight moral standards and dampening of any disagreement with the institutional church, there is now a rush to all manner of public rallies, opinion pieces, and outcry on social media to move Ireland forward and keep up with the times. 

I recently asked various Christian friends back in Ireland to give me a sense of the ‘word on the street’ about the upcoming referendum. The variety of reports and opinions that were sent back to me, seemed indicative of the broader response within in the ‘pro-life’ campaign in Ireland. While some held abortion was wrong in all cases, some felt extreme life-threatening circumstances allowed consideration. Others simply cried out for reasonable and measured debate on the issue.

Just today, an Irish friend, Patrick Mitchel, blogged a review on the recent Barna publication ‘Finding Faith in Ireland: The Shifting Spiritual Landscape of Teens and Young Adults in the Republic of Ireland.’

I highly recommend a read of Patrick’s review of this book. Patrick concludes, that in Ireland today there is ‘...a lot more clarity and honesty being expressed as the fog of Christendom lifts. Post-Christendom is in many ways good news for Christians and Christian mission. Increasingly there is no comforting social and political bulwark for churches to rely on, let alone control. And that is not a bad place for the church to be – a place of weakness and humility and having to think anew about its mission within a culture that has less and less connection with its Christendom past.’ 

As followers of Christ in Ireland and here in Australia, we can find it hard to speak out for God’s ways in a context where we are now often shouted down. A humble, truthful approach, something more than my muffled gasp in the clinic, will increasingly be required of us. Pray for believers here and in Ireland to be a faithful, respectful voice in whatever way we can.