Abortion is suddenly a burning issue again here in Northern Ireland, where the anti-abortion group Precious Life is organising a campaign against the new legal guidelines from the Department of Health.They claim the new guidance on interpreting the abortion law amounts to "abortion on demand through the back door".
They're backing a motion due to be debated in the Northern Ireland Assembly, tabled by DUP* MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and Iris Robinson, that claims the new guidelines are flawed and opposes "any attempt to make abortion more widely available".
How exactly the new guidelines could possibly mean abortion on demand is a mystery, as neither the MPs or Precious Life have explained this extraordinary accusation.
Since the document runs to 40 pages, it's difficult to know whereabouts this scurrilous proposal is lurking. Give us a clue, Jeffrey!
In fact the guidelines are merely a response to a court case brought by the Family Planning Association asking for clarification of the current abortion law, which allows abortion only if there is a threat to the mother's life or her physical or mental health. The court didn't change the law in any way.
Just who started this absurd scare story and how many people will believe it? And why is no other politician brave enough to demolish it?
Footnote: Several Catholic schools in Belfast recently cut their links with Amnesty International after it supported abortion in certain circumstances such as rape. What a green light for male violence and female servitude! Thanks so much, boys and girls.
* The Democratic Unionist Party, led by Ian Paisley
Nick:
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of stuff that absolutely enrages me, I literally see ***RED***.
The decision to abort is always a last measure with any woman/girl who has ever had one. And we don't need to count the ways a woman can get pregnant.
For instance, a good friend of mine, her husband refused to allow her birth control or wear condoms and DROVE her each time to New York to have an abortion when it was illegal in Canada and each time insisted she drive back to Toronto as he was "too tired". This happened four times until she finally left the sick F***, she - penniless and in a shelter. And I could go on.
The decision to abort is always a heart breaker and nearly always in the absence of a supportive partner.
And, as an aside, where in the name of the Great Invisible Cloud Being are the FATHERS of these aborted babies?
Why on earth are we still debating this and the rights of gays and the colour of someone's skin, etc?
ARGH!!!!
XO
WWW
The story about your friend is truly shocking, www, and almost incredible, the man was obviously a grotesquely twisted individual. So many men still think only of their selfish pleasure with no concern for the woman's point of view or the possible consequences of their impulsive lust.
ReplyDeleteThe US government on more than few occasions refused to support some U.S. NGO's set up clinics in Africa because they were going to be providing abortion services as well. So in the States (in some states I assume) you can't go help in Africa unless you don't touch the abortion issue at all. I will try to find the source of information, it was a while back and quote later. It is outrageous really.
ReplyDeleteYes I read something about that, Gaye, would like to have a link. The other crazy thing the US government is doing is promoting the useless chastity ring which I believe research has shown to be pretty ineffective once the initial fervour has worn off.
ReplyDeleteAnti-choicers are almost always religious nuts. See the connection? Religion hates women.
ReplyDeleteAll of them.
I've never seen one example of heavily pregnant women marching into an abortion clinic. It's plain woman hating. Women should be free to make their own medical decisions.
Politicians who interfere with reproductive rights of women are pandering to the lowest common denominator. Jeffrey and Iris have nothing better to do with their time to serve citizens than bust on women?
Unfortunately Medbh, they probably think it's an excellent use of their time because Northern Ireland is full of anti-choice God-gazers, including lots of their constituents. And this motion just panders to their mindless prejudices.
ReplyDeleteHowdy, whilst I don’t think I could ever do it myself I am definitely pro choice, once an abortion is sought in a reasonable time frame, the decision should be completely down to the mother. The Republic of Ireland see’s this come up ever now, you can see them gobshites in parading around the city centre with horrendous pictures of an aborted foetus and the likes. The funny thing is the vast majority of them are men. It disgusts me. I always thought abortion was legal in Northern Ireland.
ReplyDeleteHi Nonny. The law in NI is very similar to that down South - abortion is allowed in certain curcumstances only, basically if there's a risk to the mother's mental or physical health. And yes, it's sickening how so many men want to tell women what to do with their own bodies.
ReplyDeleteNonny took the words out of my mouth - couldn't have said it better.
ReplyDeleteThe individual should be allowed to decide what to do with their own bodies and in the case of abortion ‘lives’. I had an upbringing with a mother who wasn’t cut out to be a mother and it took a lifetime to get over it.
ReplyDeleteIf a human being is not carefully nurtured it is many years of pain that they experience, abortion is far kinder than un fit parents and thugs on the street which is what someone turns out to be if they have bad parenting.
The growth of a human being goes on for very many years after conception which is a small beginning.
I myself am nearly fifty and have had two abortions and I could look God (or what ever you want to call a higher spiritual order) in the face and say I am happy that I did this and the yet unborn life is also happy that I did this I am having a fantastic life for having made the right decision. Thank God for science and how many people can say their having a fantastic life. There would be two or even three miserable lives if I hadn’t had these abortions.
Trisha - I'm sorry to hear of the difficult life you have had because your mother didn't have an abortion. You're right that abortion can be preferable to an unwanted child who isn't brought up properly. And it was courageous of you to have abortions yourself to avoid similar unhappy children and make the most of your own life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting. I'm also copying your comment to my latest post because it's very relevant to the points I make about good and bad parenting.