Abortion in Ireland: The Last battle

In Catholic Ireland, abortion by constitution is prohibited. This is to change now – also because many Irish people no longer trust the church.

Abortion in Ireland: The Last battle
Content
  • Page 1 — Last battle
  • Page 2 — Ireland's dealings with women is "mean, inhumane, degrading"
  • Page 3 — The church has been shaken in its foundations
  • Read on a page

    An old black and white Photo: Ten women are standing in departure hall of Dublin Airport, in ir hands y hold posters on which y have written reasons for flight to England to an abortion clinic. One of women was Anne O'Leary, she's number ten. "Reasons were re enough," she said. One was afraid for her job, or had become pregnant after a rape, third had already six children. On O'Learys poster, as she said later, "awkwardly phrased" sentence: "Because my parents would kill me."

    The photo was 1983 during campaign against inclusion of ban on abortion in Irish constitution. The campaign failed, and since n Ireland is one of few countries in world where abortion by constitution is banned. This is now going to change. On 25 May, Irish girls and Irish will decide by a referendum wher 1983 inserted 8th addition clause, which grants fetus same right of life as pregnant woman, is removed from Constitution again.

    O'Leary will not experience it any more. She died 2004 with only 51 years of kidney failure. She never had an abortion. Carol Murphy, on or hand, who was also demonstrating against constitutional ban on abortion, went to a clinic in Liverpool in 1980s. "In trains to Dún Laoghaire, where ferry leaves for Britain, re were always nuns," she says in conversation with Christ World. "They were looking for young, single-travelling women because y knew what y were up to. Somehow nuns had a sense of this and took se women in truest sense of word into prayer. "

    If you could actually move someone to repentance, you don't know. After all, women were desperate enough to take this trip at all. Ireland has exported problem so far. Every day, up to ten Irish women travel to England for an abortion. No one knows exact number because many Irish girls in clinic give English address of a friend or relative. Due to greater logistical effort and higher cost of a trip to England, percentage of Irish girls that are aborting after 20th week is much higher than in British.

    Ireland's Conservative prime minister, Leo Varadkar, said that referendum would ask public to trust women. "It also includes question," he said, "wher to trust our doctors to determine at a later stage of pregnancy wher an abortion is medically justifiable."

    This article comes from time No. 18/2018. Here you can read entire output.

    If it were only about deletion of paragraph, most would vote yes. But government wants referendum to secure right to legislate at same time.

    Last year she had contacted citizens ' Assembly, whose 99 members represented a cross-section of population. The assembly proposed to allow abortions until 12th week of pregnancy on demand. In event of danger to life or health of pregnant women and fetal malformations, pregnancy may be terminated later, if doctors agree, it was said. The proposal was not binding, but government took over.

    The law is highly controversial, neir Fine Gael government party ("Tribe of Gaels") nor major opposition parties Fianna Fáil ("Soldiers of Destiny") and Sinn Féin ("we ourselves") are officially in favour of this regulation. So it depends on individual members wher law is passed. There should be no faction constraint.

    Date Of Update: 29 April 2018, 12:02
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