A whole new mindset is needed to stop the devaluation of life in the womb, according to a leading Irish bishop.

Kevin Doran of Achonry and Elphin was speaking in advance of the Rally for Life in Belfast last weekend.

He told the assembled congregants there is a need to promote “a new way of thinking and speaking about pregnancy, not as a burden or a crisis, but as a gift from God and as a privilege”.

He said every single human being has “infinite dignity”.

It is “not given to us by the State, or by our parents.  Neither the State, nor our parents, nor anybody else can take it away.  It is inalienable.”.

Nonetheless, he lamented that, while holding firmly to their own rights, people have “found excuses to deny the fundamental rights of others, on the basis of their colour, their sex, their ability or disability, or simply because they live in their mother’s womb, awaiting birth”.

In response, he called upon Christians to speak the truth about life clearly and respectfully and “contribute to changing the mindset of society” so that life in the womb also is valued in accord with its great dignity.