The Iona Institute has launched a new national billboard campaign to promote the right to life of the unborn. The billboards show an image of the unborn baby at 11 weeks with the simple message ‘one of us’.

The posters show how unmistakably human the unborn child is at 11 weeks, how unmistakably the baby in the womb is a fellow human being, which is to say, ‘one of us’.

Speaking on behalf of The Iona Institute, Maria Steen said: “When we debate the issue of abortion we must take into account both the mother and the child. We have launched this campaign because those who want to repeal the pro-life amendment constantly ignore or downplay the fact that abortion always ends the life of the child in the womb.”

“The pro-life amendment protects all human life, beginning at conception. It recognises that the baby in the womb is a member of the human family. It is one of us. This is something pro-choice campaigners have to either deny or pretend does not really matter.”

She continued: “It was extremely noticeable that neither the Citizens’ Assembly nor the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution showed images of the baby in the womb at its various stages of development. The unborn child was essentially invisible.”

“The Joint Committee has recommended abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks – during which time almost all abortions take place – and after that, potentially right up to birth, for reasons of ‘health’, including ‘mental health’. In Britain, 97pc of the almost 200,000 abortions that occur annually, do so under the ‘mental health’ ground.”

Maria stated: “Whatever form of abortion law the Government opts for, it cannot be denied that the victim of abortion is a human being. In addition, if the 8th amendment is repealed, the law on abortion can subsequently become anything. The initial law, however permissive it may be, is only the starting point.”

She concluded: “Our poster campaign is doing what the Citizens’ Assembly and the Joint Committee would not do. It is making the unborn child properly visible in all its obvious humanity. It is undeniably ‘one of us’ and when enough Irish people see this, we are confident that they will vote to retain a provision that protects every human life, born and unborn, female and male.”