2007 is a year for anniversaries for those who promote what Pope John Paul II called "a culture of life and a civilisation of love". In England and Wales the Catholic Bishops have reflected on the effect which the introduction of abortion has had on society during the past forty years. In Scotland, the Scottish bishops have marked the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative and in Ireland we are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the foundation of CURA by the Irish bishops.

Thirty years is roughly the span of time between one generation and the next. In the past, thirty years saw changes take place in a measured way which ensured that the values, experiences and beliefs of one generation were passed on to the next without too much difficulty or change. The past thirty years have been different. The rate of change seen in the span of a generation in the past is now measured in a decade at most.

A major change has taken place during the past thirty years in the attitude of society to the issue of abortion. Mary Kenny, in a recent article in The Telegraph (16/02/07) reviewed this change. In particular she noted the belief in the mid-1960’s that if abortion was introduced it would solve the issue of children being put into care, which stood at 5,000 at that time. Today, that figure stands at 50,000. Forty years ago English society was alarmed because there were 4,000 teenage mothers in England. Nowadays England has the highest percentage of single teenage mothers in Europe and it is estimated that one third of all births are to single parents. Instead of decreasing, Britain’s official abortion figures, according to Mary Kenny, now increase by more than two per cent each year. The changes in attitude which have taken place in our sister island have also influenced us in Ireland and CURA now works in a very different context to that in which it was founded.

And yet much has remained the same.

Thirty years on unplanned pregnancies still occur. Despite all the changes of attitude in society and the apparently more understanding culture in which we live some women still experience pregnancy as a crisis in their lives and still feel the need to talk to someone in an environment which is caring, secure and non-judgmental.

A recent report on concealed pregnancies has shown that the desire to keep a pregnancy secret has not changed for some, despite the apparent openness of our society to single parenthood, adoption and fostering.

The demand for post-abortion counselling nowadays by both men and women also serves as a reminder of the long term effects of abortion not only on the mother but, quite often, on the father as well. A recent call to a CURA Centre from an elderly man began with the question "Do you help fathers? Nobody has ever asked me how I feel after all these years."

In 1977, therefore, the client was normally the woman for whom a pregnancy was a crisis. Today our client base is much wider. The circumstances in which the crisis is encountered are much broader, while the human fears and feelings remain the same.

Cura cares has become a password. "Thanks for listening to me and asking no questions" was the comment passed by a relieved woman after a recent meting with a CURA counsellor. "CURA listens when no one else does" was another sentiment expressed quite recently.

CURA makes a unique contribution to crisis pregnancy counselling today because it has an equal care for the woman who experiences her pregnancy as a crisis and for her unborn child who, at that particular moment, has brought this element of alarm into her life. It is that equal concern for both the welfare of the mother and her unborn child that distinguishes the particular contribution which CURA makes to crisis pregnancy counselling and which is of such importance for the common good of our society. In the pluralist society in which we now live it is appropriate, therefore, that the work which CURA has done for the past thirty years would be valued and enabled to continue.

As the Irish Bishops mark the Day for Life 2007 by supporting the work of CURA, the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative and the work of the Bishops Of England and Wales, we call on all men and women of good will to support the work of promoting a culture of life in our world.

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