Texas included a ban on abortions except where a woman’s life or health are at risk. Pro-abortion groups have nonetheless taken a court case to overturn the order. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said “It is unconscionable that abortion providers are fighting against the health of Texans and withholding desperately needed supplies and personal protective equipment in favor of a procedure that they refer to as a ‘choice’.”

“My office will tirelessly defend Governor Abbott’s Order to ensure that necessary supplies reach the medical professionals combating this national health crisis,” he said.

There are over 1,200 cases of coronavirus in Texas, and at least a dozen people have died.

Abortion services will be available without restriction until the 12th week of pregnancy, a provision that does not exist in the rest of the UK, until 24 weeks if there is a risk to the woman’s ‘physical or mental health’, and up to birth if the unborn child is suffering a severe foetal impairment such as Down Syndrome, or if the child is thought likely to die, or if there is a risk of death or grave permanent injury to the mother. In addition, abortion will be decriminalised. In other parts of the UK, it is still a criminal offence in certain circumstances.

The Minister of State to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), Robin Walker MP, said that of the submissions received in a consultation process 79 per cent expressed “a view registering their general opposition to any abortion provision in Northern Ireland beyond that which is currently permitted”.

The North’s first minister, Arlene Foster, said it was a “very sad day for Northern Ireland”.

“I fundamentally reject that Westminster has brought these forward today,” she said. “We have a devolved administration, it should have been a devolved administration that dealt with these issues . . . we will be looking at how we can deal with these issues going forward in the future.”

The Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor has announced there will be no funeral Masses held during the coronavirus crisis.

Diocesan spokesman Fr Eddie McGee said Down and Connor took the decision because it is a large urban diocese, covering Belfast, and that holding services in an area with a large, close-quartered population increased the risk of spreading the virus.

Fr McGee said that in Down and Connor wakes were still being held at many deceased people’s homes but generally with just close family attending. In such cases the funeral cortege goes directly to the cemetery from the home.

“Some funeral liturgy resources are provided online so families can offer prayers in the home in the absence of a priest, while in some cases the priest can offer prayers remotely through computer loudspeakers,” he explained.

He predicted that other dioceses would “at some stage” progress to “the same measures as Down and Connor”.

Fr McGee said priests are continuing to administer the last rites to the dying, but while following social distancing rules in so far as possible. This included, he said, saying prayers two meters away from the sick person and applying holy oils using cotton buds rather than a finger.

The risks to women will dramatically increase if regulations that require women to see a doctor before using the abortion pill are suspended from the current law, introduced last year.

That’s according to the Pro-Life Campaign who were responding to Minister for Health Simon Harris telling the Dáil last night that he will move to revise the existing ‘Model of Care’ under which a doctor must certify an abortion first.

Minister Harris made his remarks while rejecting amendments from Opposition TDs to the COVID-19 related Emergency Measures Bill, which were along the same lines to what the Minister himself proposed, permitting ‘home abortions’ without any physical consultation between the woman and prescribing doctor.

Responding to the Minister’s dramatic announcement, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said:

“It is wholly unacceptable the way Minister Harris slipped in his proposed changes to the Model of Care without any broad or prior consultation. An almost identical proposal to what he presented was roundly rejected earlier this week in Westminster parliament out of concern for the adverse effect it could have on the welfare and safety of women. It was pointed out in that wide-ranging debate that at a minimum before any abortion was signed off on, there should be at least one face to face consultation between the woman and her doctor to ensure there were no issues that could endanger the woman’s health or life.

“Without any reference to concerns like these, Minister Harris told the Dáil last night that for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, he is satisfied that the examination of the woman prior to any abortion as set out in Section 12 of the abortion Act could be ‘carried out by other means, for example, by telemedicine or video conference.’”

Imposing abortion amendments on the emergency measures bill is a reckless exploitation of a national crisis, according to the Pro-life campaign.

The amendments will seek to allow the online prescription of abortion pills and for these to be sent through the postal system. The amendments have been described by Eilís Mulroy, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign as a ‘blatant attempt to hijack a national crisis in the interests of advancing extreme extensions to the existing abortion legislation’.

“I think most people will be absolutely appalled at this calculated and dangerous set of proposals by former Deputy [Ruth] Coppinger and colleague Mick Barry.

“It is entirely obvious that anyone seeking to permit online prescription of abortion pills to women who may be well past the current 12 week limit has paid no attention to the potentially devastating harm this may cause the women and the certainly fatal harm it will cause to the unborn child.

“We strongly urge all TD’s to maintain their responsible and prudent approach to the emergency measures legislation and not to allow it to become the political football of medically reckless and ideologically aggressive amendments,” concluded Ms Mulroy.

A Nigerian girl who was kidnapped in January has made a daring escape from her Islamist captors. Her story, however, is a fortunate one compared to the numerous others who are kidnapped, raped and forcibly converted to Islam.

Sadiya Amos, aged 17, went missing from north central Kaduna in northern Nigeria in January.

Sadiya says she was abducted, kept in a locked room for over a month and forced to convert to Islam; some men guarded her room so she couldn’t escape. But one day, they all fell asleep leaving the door open; she quickly ran out and back to her parents.

The Hausa Christian Foundation (HACFO) has rescued a number of girls from similar circumstances over the past three years from across northern Nigeria. HACFO’s leader Joshua Danlami said while parents fight to free their daughters, the abductors sexually abuse the girls, spike their food and drink, control what they wear and where they sleep, and continually evoke evil spirits upon them to the point that these girls lose their minds and can’t think of going back to their homes.

“Usually, the moment a Christian girl is abducted, her abductors ensure that they marry her off within one or two weeks. Even before marriage, she will be sexually abused to try to make her parents give up on her when she becomes pregnant.

“There are two major objectives behind the incessant kidnapping of Christian girls and their forceful conversion to Islam: one -to inflict pain on the girl, her parents and the Christian community; and, two, to make the girl pregnant so that her child will then be born into Islam, contributing to claims that it’s the fastest growing religion in the world.”

The bishops of Ireland spearheaded by the Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, consecrated the people of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary today for strength and protection during the coronavirus pandemic.

People were invited to join the consecration, which will took place at noon on Wednesday, in a moment of prayer with their families or as individuals.

Bishops and priests led the consecration from their homes, cathedrals and churches across the country, a statement from the Irish Bishops’ Conference said.

All wishing to be involved were invited to join their local priest or bishop from their home, via webcam, to prayerfully participate in this Act of Consecration during these “unprecedented and worrying days for us all”.

The consecration also coincided with Pope Francis’ invitation to people all over the world in praying the Our Father with him at 12 noon Roman time [11am Irish time].

A pastor in Northern Ireland has paid tribute to this wife and medical workers for helping to save his life after he was struck by the covid-19 virus.

Mark McClurg, from Co Down, has been in the intensive care unit at the Ulster Hospital near Belfast for a week but will soon be moving back to a ward.

The married father-of-three posted a set of videos on Twitter from his hospital bed using breathing support.

He said: “This coronavirus is deadly and is dangerous. Coronavirus wants to kill you. It wants to take all the life out of your lungs so that you cannot even breathe.”

Mr McClurg is part of the Elim Pentecostal Church.

He said he is grateful to be alive, and added that nurses and doctors had cared for him night and day despite the risk to their own health.

“They have saved my life. I am grateful that I am living.”

He paid tribute to his wife, Claire, for her care and support, particularly when he was at his lowest ebb and could not even talk. “She was the one who saw me through.”

He added: “Don’t think this won’t touch you. Don’t think for a moment that this is just a cough and a cold you will get.

“Look at me and listen. If you get coronavirus and you have to go into the intensive care unit, that means you are going to struggle to breathe, you could go on a ventilator, so please listen to all the advice of the Government.”

Pope Francis offered his prayers and praise for those who died from coronavirus-related illnesses after helping COVID-19 patients and their communities.

At least 50 priests, four nuns and 24 doctors have lost their lives and 5,000 health care workers in Italy were known to be infected as of March 24 because of the pandemic.

At the start of his morning Mass March 24, the pope said he was aware of the growing number of doctors, nurses and priests who have died after becoming infected while being “at the service of the sick.”

“Let us pray for them and their families. I thank God for the heroic example that they have given us in their care for the sick,” he said.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin told his priests in a letter they are called to a ministry in some ways similar to that of doctors, nurses and psychologists.

“The people turn to you with trust and hope, seeking help or even just a word of support, of accompaniment,” he wrote.

Recognising the difficulties and restrictions placed upon them for the safety of themselves and others, the archbishop said they were still shepherds, and Jesus teaches that when confronted by a wolf, a good shepherd “is not afraid and does not run away like a mercenary, but defends his flock.”

The Pro-Life Campaign has described as “reckless and life endangering” the call by PBP TD Brid Smith for the Government to dispense abortion pills for women to self-administer at home without medical supervision.

Deputy Smith made the call for home abortions by claiming the COVID-19 crisis is making it much harder for women to access abortions.

Commenting on Deputy Smith’s proposal, Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign said: “It is reckless and life endangering to push for home abortions where there will be no medical supervision. Deputy Smith has a record of ignoring the right to life of unborn babies but on this occasion what she’s promoting would also put the lives of pregnant women at serious risk.

“Abortion supporters never miss an opportunity to promote abortion. At a time when Ireland is uniting to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, once again abortion advocates try to find an abortion angle to divide the country when we should be working together to bring to a speedy end the COVID-19 crisis that has the potential to end so many lives. Abortion campaigners like Deputy Smith repeatedly calling abortion a “healthcare issue” doesn’t make it a healthcare issue.

“Abortion is not a medical treatment, it is about ending innocent human life. As a country, we need to come together like never before to beat the COVID-19 virus. It is a time to focus on saving human life not ending it.”