Nobody is too fond of abortions. One of the hardest things in modern day Ireland is to say that you support abortion, because of the fear of looking like a heartless monster. I used to lean toward the Pro-Life side, thinking that it was a non issue, until I met a girl in college who needed an abortion due to an impending miscarriage, a situation I never thought about.
The Pro-Life ‘Youth Defence’ have always had the advantage of being able to parade pictures of cute babies and women who are too far into their pregnancy to even think of an abortion. And most of the time, they’re only stock photos.
Representing Irish women (and American lobby groups)
Being Pro-Choice isn’t simply about abortions, it’s about the many choices that should be available to women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. I would even go as far as to say that pro choice goes way back to before the conception.
Ireland in the 1980s, and before, was a different place. The Catholic Church was taken more seriously, and the scandal was yet to come out (this blog entry isn’t about their sex crimes, it’s about our ‘sexual deviance’). Back then, condoms were not easy to get in the Republic. They were reserved for married couples, and Catholic lobbyists would kick up a stink when the government took a more laid back approach to sex.
Pro choice can also mean the choice to wear a condom to prevent pregnancy, which wouldn’t be available if the Youth Defence had their way. They would much prefer to live with the idealised notion that most humans can suppress their sexuality.
It would be hard to point out that restricted access to contraceptives, bad sex education (abstinence), and the desire to have sex would result in an unwanted pregnancy. And abortion is an option in the UK, and Irish women take that opportunity
“Figures released today (29.05.12) by the UK Department of Health show that in 2011, a total of 4,149 women providing Irish addresses had terminations in England and Wales.”(Irish Family Planning Association, 2012)
Although the figures are dropping, it is still a fact that women sometimes have no better option.
They’re not too font of gay people either
The Youth Defence tend to also speak with strong rhetoric that can manipulate peoples’ emotions. They use absolute phrases such as “Abortion is NEVER needed to save a woman’s life”, which the death of Savita Halappanavar would disprove. Or “There’s always a better option”.
I don’t want to tar all pro life people with the same brush as the Church and Higher ranking Youth Defence. They just need to meet women who have had abortions, and understand that not every situation is the same.
They just need to understand that there isn’t “Always a better option”, and a strong pro-choice voice in Ireland has to be heard. And the Catholic Church would only make things worse, which 80 years of Irish State – Church integration would show.
Sligonian 