The petition, made by The Citizens Initiative for the Protection of Human Life (CIPHL) and directed to Members of the Oireachtas, Ireland's parliament, begins:
The right-to-life is non-negotiable and can never be subject to a vote. Therefore, we the undersigned, petition members of the Oireachtas to reject all calls to hold a referendum on the repeal, or alteration, of the pro-life Eighth Amendment. Holding such a referendum would open the way for the elimination of the legal protection of the right-to-life and, consequently, to the killing of Ireland’s unborn children by abortion.
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Background
The Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution was introduced to prevent the violation of the right-to-life of unborn children by abortion. The amendment protects the lives of mothers and unborn children equally. It states:
"The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right."
International pro-abortion activists are campaigning to strip away this protection from Ireland’s mothers and children. In October 2016 a “Citizens Assembly”, convened by the Irish government, began its discussion of the future of the Eighth Amendment. It is considered likely that the assembly, which is due to report in June 2017, will propose a referendum on the repeal or alteration of the Eighth Amendment.
Right to life most fundamental human right
The description goes on:
The right-to-life is the most fundamental of all human rights and is recognised by international law. Ireland is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms that "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth."
The Irish state has a moral and legal obligation to protect the human rights of everyone within its jurisdiction. It is the duty of the state to recognise the right-to-life and ensure its protection in law. No state, no legislature, no assembly, regardless of public opinion, can abrogate or deny fundamental human rights.
Any attempt to limit, nullify or deny the right to life of children before birth is wholly illegitimate.
All calls to hold a referendum must be rejected by Irish lawmakers and by the Irish people.
Unequivocal defence of life
Maria Madise, SPUC's International Director, welcomed the petition, saying: "It is heartening to see such an unequivocal defence of the Eighth Amendment and the right to life of the unborn child being brought before the public in Ireland. We would encourage our supporters with family and friends in Ireland to share this as widely as possible. Ireland should be proud of its constitutional defence of the unborn – Britain’s shameful legacy of 50 years of legalised abortion is not something to imitate."

The Citizens' Assembly, the Irish body charged with examining the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which protects the equal right to life of the mother and baby, recommended this weekend that Ireland legislate for abortion, with many saying there should be no restrictions at all.
The Assembly, which consisted of 99 people randomly selected by a polling company and chaired by a Supreme Court judge, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, voted on a series of questions on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th April. In the first ballot a substantial majority (87%) voted that Article 40.3.3., known as the Eighth Amendment, should not be retained in full. The second ballot stopped short of completing repealing it, with 56% voting that it instead be replaced and amended. In the third ballot, 57% voted for a constitutional change allowing the Oireachtas to legislate on abortion, as opposed to 43% advocating direct provision.
No restrictions
The most shocking results from the weekend's meeting emerged from a series of ballots addressing situations in which abortion might be permitted. The Assembly voted to legalise the killing of unborn babies in 13 separate cases including rape, foetal abnormalities, and socio-economic issues and there was a substantial vote in favour of eliminating any distinction between the physical and mental health of the pregnant woman. Almost two-thirds of the Assembly voted for decriminalisation of abortion, with almost half (48%) recommending an unrestricted right to kill an unborn baby in the first three months of pregnancy, and 44% saying this should be extended to 22 weeks. 8% thought there should be no restrictions on gestational age.

Right to life not subject to vote
Pro-life groups immediately condemned the process as one sided, and as not being reflective of the views of the majority of the Irish people. Maria Madise, SPUC's International Director, said: ""These results from the Citizen's Assembly are appalling but not surprising. The process was flawed from the beginning, and was set up by the Irish Government to deliver a decision calling for a referendum on abortion but keeping the process at arms length from the government. Nevertheless, the Irish state has a moral and legal obligation to protect the human rights of everyone within its jurisdiction. The right-to-life is the most fundamental of all human rights and is recognised by international law. No state, no legislature, regardless of public opinion, can abrogate or deny fundamental human rights. Therefore, all calls to hold a referendum must be rejected by Irish lawmakers and by the Irish people, because the right-to-life is non-negotiable and can never be subject to a vote."
Reality of 50 years of abortion
Pat Buckley, SPUC's UN and Ireland consultant added: "This result in no way reflects the view of the Irish people. It is particularly horrifying that the members, who heard first hand the reality of abortion, voted to allow it in almost any circuмstance. Those who voted for abortion with no restriction should look to the example of the UK, where 50 years of legalised abortion has led to nearly 9 million dead babies and countless numbers of women being damaged. We do not believe that most Irish people want this for their country, and urge people to reject this flawed Assembly and continue to protect the lives of mothers and babies."
The results of the voting process will be included in a report to be submitted to the Dáil sometime in June and will initially be considered by a 20-member Oireachtas Committee, which may or may not take on board the recommendations of the Assembly, either in full or in part, and will decide whether or not legislative changes should be put to the two houses of the Oireachtas, the Dáil and Seanad. It is now likely that those recommendations will include a call for a new referendum which could be held early next year.