The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, Richard Clarke has defended the role of faith-based schools in this country and also warned against the introduction of a form of ‘eugenic abortion’.

Archbishop Clarke says in an interview with The Irish Catholic that faith-based schools play an important role, warning that the “notion that denominational education is no longer fit for purpose is more a political notion than actually something that will stand up”. He added his firm belief that there remains in Ireland today ““a legitimate place for schools that are of a denominational hue”.

Archbishop Clarke also warned of a potential “eugenics culture” in Ireland should current abortion laws be liberalised. On the current drive to force a referendum towards repealing the constitutional protection for the unborn, the Archbishop warned that it could “begin a process where if there is any risk that a child may be disabled in any way, then a mother will be under pressure to have an abortion”.

Reiterating the Anglican Church’s belief in the right to equal protection of the mother and unborn, Dr Clarke said: “We have never ever said there should be an open door to abortion on demand or anything of that kind.” He further warned people against viewing the beginning of life as a ‘happening’ and not a gift, and the end of life as just an ‘event’.

“I think one needs to be extremely careful when you go down a track of saying human life is anything other than a gift,” he said.

“Sometimes at the end of life, when someone is dying, it is very hard to see that this is still a gift of life and at the beginning of life, with the unborn child, sometimes it must be very difficult to believe that this in Christian terms is a gift. But I think once we start to lose that you can be brought to very dangerous places.”