What Ireland's eighth amendment vote should mean for pro-lifers in the U. S.

I woke up yesterday morning to the trending hashtag #HometoVote.

The people of Ireland will vote Friday, May 25, to keep the eighth amendment, which almost totally bans abortion, or to repeal the amendment allowing the legalization of abortion. According to the Associated Press, if the eighth amendment is repealed, Ireland’s constitution would allow for unrestricted abortions up to 12 weeks.

Women, and men, all over the world are returning to their native homeland of Ireland to vote. I wasn’t the least bit surprised that only two stories I read were of pro-life individuals traveling back #HometoVote. The stories of these traveling voters have grown to inspire more and more travelers to post their travel experiences. 

These voters understand the power of social media. They understand the importance of putting their voice to action.

Although many of these #HometoVote users are representing anti-life values, I thought to myself, What if American pro-life females (and men) were this inspired to vote? To travel in any way possible for over 20 hours? To spend a couple of thousands of dollars?

All for the possibility of saving even one human life.

If all pro-lifers had a drive like this, who would we have in office now? Perhaps abortion could even be overturned if pro-life voices were overwhelmingly passionate about voting their values.

Whether Friday’s outcome be favorable to life or not, the influence of social media activism and the importance of getting out the vote cannot be ignored.

Let the vote in Ireland be a wakeup call to American women to vote their values. And to those women who already are active voters, let this be a challenge to continue their fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As primaries and midterm elections roll around, don’t forget your voice counts. Your vote counts. 

The lives of babies may depend on it.