A new Amnesty International advertising campaign calling for the 8th Amendment to the constitution to be repealed has come in for considerable criticism for being “anti-Catholic,” and because it is not what is expected from “the guy who voiced Aslan.”
Chains, which you can watch below, was co-created by the advocacy group and Fr Ted writer Graham Linehan, who, along with his wife Helen, made headlines earlier this week when the couple spoken openly about their history of abortion after a baby they conceived was diagnosed with a fatal-foetal abnormality.
The Linehans and Amnesty International, along with Liam Neeson in a narrating role, released the Chains advert in order to raise awareness of the growing movement to change Ireland’s abortion laws in the lead up to the general election, expected to take place in the spring of 2016.
But the advert has come under fire from a number of conservative American writers who appear to have a particular grievance with Liam Neeson lending his voice to the campaign, as the actor previously voiced the fictional lion Aslan in the feature film The Chronicles of Narnia – an adaptation of CS Lewis’ thinly-veiled allegory of the life of Jesus Christ in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
“I expect this from Amnesty International, but not the guy who voiced Aslan,” writes Matthew Archbold of the National Catholic Register.
Describing the advert as wholly “anti-Catholic,” Archbold raises concerns about the future of Ireland and a Europe that is moving towards secularism.
“It is a sad culture that attempts to demonize an institution that preaches love at every turn and begs people to treat others as they would wish to be treated. I understand they want to turn their backs on the Church and march away. But the real question is, what are they marching towards?”
Of Chains itself, Archbold does offer Liam Neeson’s delivery some praise:
“To be fair, the ad was a lot more watchable than Neeson's Taken 3. I hope this effort bombs as badly as that movie did.”
Over on LifeNews.Com, Dave Adrusko also describes Chains as being “anti-Catholic,” and questions the casting of Neeson as the narrator:
“The narrator is actor Liam Neeson, the voice of Aslan in the film version of “The Chronicles of Narnia. (Aslan is generally understood to be a Christ-like figure, which makes the use of Neeson even more tasteless.)"
“Besides championing abortion, the short film contained anti-Catholic messaging,” he adds.
The 8th, also known as Article 40.3.3, was introduced into the Irish constitution on October 7th, 1983. It reads:
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.
Labour, the junior party in the current coalition, has pledged to include a referendum on repealing the 8th as a priority of its programme for government if re-elected, as have Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil remain divided on the issue.
