The decision to light-up the Mansion House in support of abortion this evening has been described as “divisive, undemocratic, and deplorable”, with critics saying that the use of a “public building to promote just one side of a debate is an abuse of political power. “
And the involvement of a wealthy US-based NGO in a campaign which is seeing the Mansion House, Trinity College and other public building globally illuminated in support of an abortion campaign, has been described as the “type of unwarranted interference that would never be tolerated otherwise by an Irish media that have their eyes out in stalks looking for US influence in every other area.”
TDs, Cllrs and Senators were critical of the decision to light-up both the Mansion House – which is the residence of the Fianna Fáil Lord Mayor, Daryl Barron – and Trinity College tonight to mark International Safe Abortion Day: with several noting that there had been no public debate regarding the use of a public buildings to support a contentious issue.
Plans to illuminate Belfast City Hall for the same international campaign came undone in recent days when a a council procedure was used to challenge the decision. The landmark Belfast building was due to be lit up green, despite an opposing petition signed by more than 20,000 people.
But now, the National Women’s Council of Ireland have issued a statement saying that the Mansion House in Dublin would be illuminated in green this evening, along with buildings in London, Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Edinburgh, Geneva, Zagreb, Yerevan, Augsburg, Pula, Büdelsdorf and Recklinghausen.
FIANNA FÁIL LORD MAYOR LIVES IN MANSION HOUSE
There had been no public statement prior to that from the Lord Mayor, Fianna Fáil councillor Daryl Barron, who was elected Lord Mayor in June and who resides in the Mansion House.
Cllr Malachy Steenson, an independent councillor for the north inner city ward of Dublin City Council, said that the matter had not come before the Council and that the matter should have been discussed “as the Mansion House belongs to the taxpayer and the people of Dublin not to the Lord Mayor, Daryl Barron”.
He pointed out that “while most people imagine the councillors would need to approve this, that was not what happened and this seemed to be a decision the Lord Mayor had made”.
“The state in its various forms seems determined to keep increasing the abortion rate which is madness given that we’re already seeing about 11,000 abortions every year,” he said. “There was no public demand for this stunt.”
Independent TD, Carol Nolan described the abortion-supporting illumination as “an obscene gesture”, saying it “wouldn’t be out of place in a cult of death.”
“Celebrating” a “service” that has ended the lives of tens of thousands of children in Ireland is quite frankly pathological,” the Offaly TD said, saying it was “a symbol of how degraded the appreciation of innocent human life has become.”
Life Institute spokeswoman, Sandra Parda, said that the decision had been made without public consultation, pointing to huge numbers opposing the plans for City Hall in Belfast, and accusing the Lord Mayor of facilitating a “celebration of abortion which seems to have been arranged by stealth to avoid opposition.”
She said that lighting up a public building in support of abortion was “divisive, undemocratic, and deplorable” and that “ending a child’s life” was “nothing to be celebrated.”
“Furthermore, it is our position that using a public building to promote just one side of a debate is an abuse of political power. ”
” We constantly hear that abortion is a difficult decision and voters are persuaded by being told that its not something to take lightly, yet now we have a foreign campaign group somehow getting the Lord Mayor of our capital city to cover a public building with a lit-up celebration of ending a child’s life,” she said. “It’s actually disgusting, and yet another push to normalise abortion even as the numbers have spiralled out of control, with circa 11,000 abortions every year.”
“Abortion is never safe for the baby, and abortion campaigners always seek to downplay and ignore the very real negative impacts for women,” she said. “Why isn’t the Mansion House lit up to support women with crisis pregnancies with positive answers? Why hasn’t it been lit up for Mothers’ Day?”
“It’s really disturbing to see a Fianna Fáil councillor taking this step,” she added. “It’s something you’d expect form the PBP. Fianna Fáil continues to sink in the polls, while seeking out voters that have extreme views on abortion. This is a failed and idiotic strategy. Celebrating abortion using a public building is just deplorable and wrong.”
U.S. BASED CAMPAIGN
Ms Parda said that the involvement of a wealthy US-based NGO in the campaign to illuminate public buildings in support of an abortion campaign, was “exactly the type of unwarranted interference that would never be tolerated otherwise by an Irish media that have their eyes out in stalks looking for US influence in every other area.”
Senator Sharon Keogan said she questions “whether NWC adequately represents the diversity of women’s views when it presents abortion access as the defining measure of women’s rights.”
“The Council should listen to women who oppose abortion as well as those who support it, and should champion practical support for women facing crisis pregnancies—including healthcare, financial assistance, and meaningful alternatives,” she said.
“A genuinely representative women’s council should make room for disagreement while affirming the dignity and wellbeing of both women and unborn life. This is the biggest failing of the NWC and why thousands of women reject anything they say,” she said.
She noted that the stance of the National Women’s has been “roundly rejected in the 2024 referendums, when plans to remove women from the Constitution received the biggest rejection in the history of the state.”
Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín said that “public buildings should unite, not divide”- and was strongly critical of “the decision to use public buildings to campaign for abortion”.
“The use of the phrase International Safe Abortion Day will shock many people, there is no such thing as a safe abortion. The life of an individual living human being is taken in every abortion,” he said.
“Public buildings belong to all of the people, regardless of their views on abortion. While many citizens support abortion provision, many others believe that unborn human life deserves protection and respect. It is therefore inappropriate for publicly-owned landmarks to be used to promote one side of a deeply contested moral and ethical issue.”
“We need greater support for women experiencing crisis pregnancies, improved maternity care, better disability services and practical assistance for families facing difficult circumstances. These are areas where society can unite rather than divide,” the Aontú leader said.
Senator Rónán Mullen said that: “It’s a sad reflection on all involved. Our country and our world was never more in need of a message of peace, human respect and non-violence. This gesture represents the exact opposite. Abortion is about despair and destruction, and the sooner people realise it, the sooner we can get to a better place, and the sooner people can find healing.”
NWC said that they are “delighted to have coordinated the illumination of public buildings, including the Mansion House and Trinity College in Dublin, as part of a European-wide initiative to mark International Safe Abortion Day today (28th September 2026).”
“The illumination is an initiative in partnership with the Center for Reproductive Rights and other organisations working for reproductive rights across Europe. The illumination will see buildings in over 10 locations across Europe, including London, Paris, Barcelona and Geneva lit in green this evening to highlight that reproductive rights are human rights,” the taxpayer-funded group said.
The Lord Mayor has been contacted for comment.