Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Fifth Anniversary of Deirdre DeBarra's Letter
February 25th 2002- Deirdre DeBarra's Letter to the Irish Times
REFERENDUM ON ABORTION
Sir,- I never thought that I would be in a position where the Government, legislature and Catholic Church of this country would violate my rights and dignity. There will have been many women in this position before, but today I must voice my anger and suffering at the inhuman treatment of women in this State.
Recently I was told that the 16-week old foetus I was carrying had a severe chromosomal abnormality, incompatible with life, which would result in death soon after birth. This was a very much wanted baby, but the trauma of this news was vastly exacerbated by the thought of being forced to carry to full term a foetus which would never know extra-uterine life.
The current media focus on the forthcoming abortion referendum has thrown into sharp relief the very real lack of attention to the substantive issue of foetal anomalies in the unborn, and the mental and physical detrimental impact on the mother.
The coincidence of the carers dispute was a further reminder of the forgotten in this society, the people who cannot function outside an institution and the parents who cannot cope.
I am a self-employed professional, I have two sons aged 12 and 10, who would welcome a baby brother or sister, but who also need and deserve my full attention. They will never see that baby-but why should they also suffer the excessive trauma visited on their mother by Irish legislation?
All three of us are citizens of a State which is turning its back on the reality of the suffering and family distress caused to the living. I pay for private health care and insurance in this country, yet in order to bring about a dignified and healthy conclusion and safeguard my mental well-being my partner and I are forced to secretly seek contact numbers, book flights and accomodation, take trains and taxis to a strange hospital in a foreign city, to meet strange medical staff who see me as yet another statistic of the Irish problem, to be sent back to this country where there is no compassion- or else to carry on for a further five months, with all the attendant mental and physical strain, knowing that there will be a burial and not a baby to look forward to.
If there is a constitutional requirement to hold a referendum, I appeal on behalf of the hundreds of women who undergo this untenable trauma every year, for recognition of foetal abnormalities as a case for humane intervention. It is a risible irony to allow the obstetric profession to carry out amniocentesis tests which identify these chromosomal abnormalities, and then demand that the harrowing results be ignored.
I do not advocate social abortion on demand. This, in my opinion, is a very separate issue.
I am very angry that men I do not know and who don't know me, people like Des Hanifin and William Binchy and others who have been complicit with Fianna Fail governments and the Catholic Church, have decided that my body is their demesne; that, regardless of the emotional and physical distress for us, I must do what they want; that their bigoted will rules my body.
They are all instrumental in perpetuating a very real human misery, with which I have tragically come face to face.
I want to hear the response of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Attorney General, Cardinal Connell, to this specific aspect of the issue of the unborn. On behalf of other women and families who have suffered, I want to know this issue will be prioritised, addressed and resolved between the legislature and the medical profession outside of the current referendum marketing extravaganza.
The only people who will benefit from the obscene proliferation of posters and glossy leaflets are PR companies and printers. Neither a Yes nor a No vote will change the situation about which I write, but Yes will further criminalise anyone who tries to help. How backward can we be?
Yours, etc.,
DEIRDRE DE BARRA
Clonskeagh
Dublin 14.
REFERENDUM ON ABORTION
Sir,- I never thought that I would be in a position where the Government, legislature and Catholic Church of this country would violate my rights and dignity. There will have been many women in this position before, but today I must voice my anger and suffering at the inhuman treatment of women in this State.
Recently I was told that the 16-week old foetus I was carrying had a severe chromosomal abnormality, incompatible with life, which would result in death soon after birth. This was a very much wanted baby, but the trauma of this news was vastly exacerbated by the thought of being forced to carry to full term a foetus which would never know extra-uterine life.
The current media focus on the forthcoming abortion referendum has thrown into sharp relief the very real lack of attention to the substantive issue of foetal anomalies in the unborn, and the mental and physical detrimental impact on the mother.
The coincidence of the carers dispute was a further reminder of the forgotten in this society, the people who cannot function outside an institution and the parents who cannot cope.
I am a self-employed professional, I have two sons aged 12 and 10, who would welcome a baby brother or sister, but who also need and deserve my full attention. They will never see that baby-but why should they also suffer the excessive trauma visited on their mother by Irish legislation?
All three of us are citizens of a State which is turning its back on the reality of the suffering and family distress caused to the living. I pay for private health care and insurance in this country, yet in order to bring about a dignified and healthy conclusion and safeguard my mental well-being my partner and I are forced to secretly seek contact numbers, book flights and accomodation, take trains and taxis to a strange hospital in a foreign city, to meet strange medical staff who see me as yet another statistic of the Irish problem, to be sent back to this country where there is no compassion- or else to carry on for a further five months, with all the attendant mental and physical strain, knowing that there will be a burial and not a baby to look forward to.
If there is a constitutional requirement to hold a referendum, I appeal on behalf of the hundreds of women who undergo this untenable trauma every year, for recognition of foetal abnormalities as a case for humane intervention. It is a risible irony to allow the obstetric profession to carry out amniocentesis tests which identify these chromosomal abnormalities, and then demand that the harrowing results be ignored.
I do not advocate social abortion on demand. This, in my opinion, is a very separate issue.
I am very angry that men I do not know and who don't know me, people like Des Hanifin and William Binchy and others who have been complicit with Fianna Fail governments and the Catholic Church, have decided that my body is their demesne; that, regardless of the emotional and physical distress for us, I must do what they want; that their bigoted will rules my body.
They are all instrumental in perpetuating a very real human misery, with which I have tragically come face to face.
I want to hear the response of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Attorney General, Cardinal Connell, to this specific aspect of the issue of the unborn. On behalf of other women and families who have suffered, I want to know this issue will be prioritised, addressed and resolved between the legislature and the medical profession outside of the current referendum marketing extravaganza.
The only people who will benefit from the obscene proliferation of posters and glossy leaflets are PR companies and printers. Neither a Yes nor a No vote will change the situation about which I write, but Yes will further criminalise anyone who tries to help. How backward can we be?
Yours, etc.,
DEIRDRE DE BARRA
Clonskeagh
Dublin 14.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Irish Campaign Welcomes Portuguese Referendum Result
Press release issued on Monday 12th February 2007.
The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign has welcomed the result of Sunday's Portuguese referendum on abortion. Of those who voted in the referendum, 59.3 per cent supported making abortion available in a wider range of circumstances. The Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, has said that his Socialist government will liberalise the law on abortion as a result of the vote.
The Safe and Legal Campaign has called on the Irish Government to take action on abortion, and as a minimum to legislate for the X case. Ms X was a 14-year-old pregnant rape victim who was suicidal as a result of her pregnancy, and in whose case the Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that abortion would be lawful. The X case allows for abortion on the grounds that a pregnancy poses a real and substantial risk to a woman's life. However, in the absence of any legislation clarifying how doctors may implement the X case, women seeking to have abortions in Ireland currently face criminal conviction and a potential sentence of life imprisonment.
Ivana Bacik, spokesperson for the Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign, said today:
'The Portuguese result means that Ireland has by far the most restrictive abortion law in Europe. It shows the need for us to have a public debate about the reality of crisis pregnancy in Ireland, and the problems faced by those women who must travel abroad to obtain legal abortion.'
The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign believes that abortion should be safely and legally available in Ireland.
www.safeandlegalinireland.ie
Irish Abortion Statistics
At least 123,258 women women travelled from Ireland to the UK for abortions between January 1980 and December 2005.
5,585 women travelled to the UK for abortions in 2005. Women aged between 20-30 years represented the majority of those who travelled to Britain for abortion services in 2004.
These figures undercount the amount of women travelling to the UK for abortions as they only include those who choose to give Irish addresses to clinics at which they obtain abortion services.
For further information:
email: safeandlegalinireland@eircom.net
write to: Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign,
P.O. Box 10740
Dublin 1
Ireland.
The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign has welcomed the result of Sunday's Portuguese referendum on abortion. Of those who voted in the referendum, 59.3 per cent supported making abortion available in a wider range of circumstances. The Portuguese Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, has said that his Socialist government will liberalise the law on abortion as a result of the vote.
The Safe and Legal Campaign has called on the Irish Government to take action on abortion, and as a minimum to legislate for the X case. Ms X was a 14-year-old pregnant rape victim who was suicidal as a result of her pregnancy, and in whose case the Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that abortion would be lawful. The X case allows for abortion on the grounds that a pregnancy poses a real and substantial risk to a woman's life. However, in the absence of any legislation clarifying how doctors may implement the X case, women seeking to have abortions in Ireland currently face criminal conviction and a potential sentence of life imprisonment.
Ivana Bacik, spokesperson for the Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign, said today:
'The Portuguese result means that Ireland has by far the most restrictive abortion law in Europe. It shows the need for us to have a public debate about the reality of crisis pregnancy in Ireland, and the problems faced by those women who must travel abroad to obtain legal abortion.'
The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign believes that abortion should be safely and legally available in Ireland.
www.safeandlegalinireland.ie
Irish Abortion Statistics
At least 123,258 women women travelled from Ireland to the UK for abortions between January 1980 and December 2005.
5,585 women travelled to the UK for abortions in 2005. Women aged between 20-30 years represented the majority of those who travelled to Britain for abortion services in 2004.
These figures undercount the amount of women travelling to the UK for abortions as they only include those who choose to give Irish addresses to clinics at which they obtain abortion services.
For further information:
email: safeandlegalinireland@eircom.net
write to: Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign,
P.O. Box 10740
Dublin 1
Ireland.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Cardinal Urges Portugal to Reject Abortion in Poll
from Agence France-Presse in Lisbon.
Portugal's top cleric urged followers to reject abortion as the predominantly Catholic country decides in a weekend referendum whether to liberalise the country's strict anti-abortion stance.
Catholics must take into account the sanctity of life when casting their votes, Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo said. Sunday's referendum will ask voters if they agree with the legalisation of abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy.
The conscience of Christians regarding abortion 'must be illuminated not only by natural light but also by the word of God and the teachings of the Church,' the cardinal, who is Patriarch of Lisbon, wrote in a text published on the church's website.
Predominantly Roman Catholic Portugal has one of the most restrictive laws against abortion in Europe. The practice is currently allowed only until the 12th week of pregnancy in cases of rape, a malformed foetus or if the woman's life is in danger.
The influential Church has vocally opposed any change to the law during the referendum campaign, with bishops and priests frequently speaking out from the pulpit against liberalisation.
Two Church-run daycare centres in Setubal, a pport city some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Lisbon, handed out copies of a letter purportedly from an aborted foetus to its mother which angered some parents and sparked controversy.
'Mom how were you able to kill me? How were you able to allow me to be cut up in pieces and thrown into a bucket?' asks the letter which was reprinted in seevral newspapers and internet sites.
In a referendum held in 1998 voters upheld the existing abortion law by 51 per cent to 49 per cent, but the result was declared void as nearly seven out of 10 voters stayed away.
Portugal's top cleric urged followers to reject abortion as the predominantly Catholic country decides in a weekend referendum whether to liberalise the country's strict anti-abortion stance.
Catholics must take into account the sanctity of life when casting their votes, Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo said. Sunday's referendum will ask voters if they agree with the legalisation of abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy.
The conscience of Christians regarding abortion 'must be illuminated not only by natural light but also by the word of God and the teachings of the Church,' the cardinal, who is Patriarch of Lisbon, wrote in a text published on the church's website.
Predominantly Roman Catholic Portugal has one of the most restrictive laws against abortion in Europe. The practice is currently allowed only until the 12th week of pregnancy in cases of rape, a malformed foetus or if the woman's life is in danger.
The influential Church has vocally opposed any change to the law during the referendum campaign, with bishops and priests frequently speaking out from the pulpit against liberalisation.
Two Church-run daycare centres in Setubal, a pport city some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Lisbon, handed out copies of a letter purportedly from an aborted foetus to its mother which angered some parents and sparked controversy.
'Mom how were you able to kill me? How were you able to allow me to be cut up in pieces and thrown into a bucket?' asks the letter which was reprinted in seevral newspapers and internet sites.
In a referendum held in 1998 voters upheld the existing abortion law by 51 per cent to 49 per cent, but the result was declared void as nearly seven out of 10 voters stayed away.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Abortion Uptake Highest Among Twentysomethings
By Eilish O'Regan, Health Correspondent of the Irish Independent
The highest number of abortions are among Irish women aged between 20 and 24. A report from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency shows that of 6,522 women who had abortions in one year, 2,258(34%) were in this bracket.
But the group most likely to seek an abortion are teenagers. The rate of abortion is higher relative to the number of teenage pregnancies. By international standards, the abortion rate is not high. However, the picture is not fully clear because of a lack of data.
The report showed that 916 of the abortions took place among girls under the age of 20. There has been a rise in the number of teenagers from Ireland ahving abortions in the last three decades. But the number of teenage girls having babies has not changed significantly in those 30 years.
Most teenage births here are among girls aged about 18 or 19. In 1973, there were 16.3 births per 1000 teenagers aged between 15 and 19. It peaked in 1980, and since then it has fallen again. The figure is now at around 16.8 per 1,000.
The agency's statistical report for 2005 gives an overview of current pregnancy and birth trends as well as how they are changing. Despite a steady decrease in the birth rate here over the past two decades, it is still the highest in the EU.
The average age for giving birth is higher here than in other European countries. The average age is here is 30 while it is 29 in Norway and 28 in the UK.
The proportion of births outside of marriage here has increased steadily since the 1970s. Nearly one third of births take place among women who are not married, compared to just 3.2% in 1973. However, many of these women are in stable relationships and do not conform to the traditional image of the unmarried mother.
The reprot also underlines the dramatic fall in babies who are given up for adoption here. In 1976, nearly four in every ten children born outside marriage was adopted. But this has now declined to just 0.5%. More women are choosing to keep their babies and adoption is 'no longer seen as an expected or real solution to crisis pregnancy'.
The highest number of abortions are among Irish women aged between 20 and 24. A report from the Crisis Pregnancy Agency shows that of 6,522 women who had abortions in one year, 2,258(34%) were in this bracket.
But the group most likely to seek an abortion are teenagers. The rate of abortion is higher relative to the number of teenage pregnancies. By international standards, the abortion rate is not high. However, the picture is not fully clear because of a lack of data.
The report showed that 916 of the abortions took place among girls under the age of 20. There has been a rise in the number of teenagers from Ireland ahving abortions in the last three decades. But the number of teenage girls having babies has not changed significantly in those 30 years.
Most teenage births here are among girls aged about 18 or 19. In 1973, there were 16.3 births per 1000 teenagers aged between 15 and 19. It peaked in 1980, and since then it has fallen again. The figure is now at around 16.8 per 1,000.
The agency's statistical report for 2005 gives an overview of current pregnancy and birth trends as well as how they are changing. Despite a steady decrease in the birth rate here over the past two decades, it is still the highest in the EU.
The average age for giving birth is higher here than in other European countries. The average age is here is 30 while it is 29 in Norway and 28 in the UK.
The proportion of births outside of marriage here has increased steadily since the 1970s. Nearly one third of births take place among women who are not married, compared to just 3.2% in 1973. However, many of these women are in stable relationships and do not conform to the traditional image of the unmarried mother.
The reprot also underlines the dramatic fall in babies who are given up for adoption here. In 1976, nearly four in every ten children born outside marriage was adopted. But this has now declined to just 0.5%. More women are choosing to keep their babies and adoption is 'no longer seen as an expected or real solution to crisis pregnancy'.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Pro Choice Campaigning Meeting
A 'Pro Choice Campaigning' meeting will be held at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. The meeting is open to all and is hosted by Labour Youth.
'Pro Choice Campaigning' is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro-choice campaign in Ireland today.
It's time to put the issue of abortion rights in Ireland back on the agenda. Abortion is an issue that Irish politicians and newspapers don't want to talk about anymore. In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably. But the situation in Ireland has n't changed. The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored. Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights- only the Vatican and Malta rival Ireland at European level.
Successive Irish Government's have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman's life was in danger. As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all.
The situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for women's rights in Ireland.
This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers. A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.
'Pro Choice Campaigning' is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro-choice campaign in Ireland today.
It's time to put the issue of abortion rights in Ireland back on the agenda. Abortion is an issue that Irish politicians and newspapers don't want to talk about anymore. In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably. But the situation in Ireland has n't changed. The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored. Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights- only the Vatican and Malta rival Ireland at European level.
Successive Irish Government's have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman's life was in danger. As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all.
The situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for women's rights in Ireland.
This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers. A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.
Pro Choice Campaigning Meeting
A 'Pro Choice Campaigning' meeting will be held at 3pm on Saturday 27th January in the Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. The meeting is open to all and is hosted by Labour Youth.
'Pro Choice Campaigning' is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro-choice campaign in Ireland today.
It's time to put the issue of abortion rights in Ireland back on the agenda. Abortion is an issue that Irish politicians and newspapers don't want to talk about anymore. In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably. But the situation in Ireland has n't changed. The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored. Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights- only the Vatican and Malta rival Ireland at European level.
Successive Irish Government's have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman's life was in danger. As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all.
The situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for women's rights in Ireland.
This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers. A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.
'Pro Choice Campaigning' is intended to be a working meeting as opposed to one involving speakers and questions. There will be a series of workshops designed to produce realistic and practical ideas about how we can advance the pro-choice campaign in Ireland today.
It's time to put the issue of abortion rights in Ireland back on the agenda. Abortion is an issue that Irish politicians and newspapers don't want to talk about anymore. In comparison to the years surrounding the referenda, column inches in the press devoted to the issue of reproductive rights have diminished remarkably. But the situation in Ireland has n't changed. The women who travel daily from this country to the UK for abortions continue to be ignored. Ireland is maintaining its position as one of the strictest countries in the world in terms of reproductive rights- only the Vatican and Malta rival Ireland at European level.
Successive Irish Government's have failed to legislate along the lines of the X Case decision, which ruled that abortion should be allowed in cases where the woman's life was in danger. As a result, doctors are left in an unacceptable position, unsure of whether they are legally able to perform a termination in any cases at all.
The situation will never change unless those of us who care about these issues become involved in a broad campaigning movement working for women's rights in Ireland.
This will be a functional meeting, using working groups and facilitators designed to produce practical and workable ideas rather than merely a string of speakers. A diversity of tactics, ideas and approaches is what is hoped will be produced by this meeting, in order to establish a broad based campaign aimed at improving and increasing reproductive rights in this country.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Nicaraguan Activists Bid To Block Abortion Bill
Human rights activists in Nicaragua on Monday January 8th asked the Supreme Court to block a controversial law that bans abortions for rape victims and women who risk dying in childirth.
They urged the Central American nation's top court to declare the law, which was passed in Octoer and went into effect last year, as unconstitutional on grounds it violates 'fundamental rights and principles'.
Nicaraguan lawmakers approved the bill with support from two right-wing parties and leftist legislators from the Sandinista party of Daniel Ortega, the president elect who takes office on Wednesday.
Sandinista legislators backed the bill, also sought by Nicaragua's powerful Catholic Church, only a week before presidential elections to avoid alienating church leaders and religious voters.
It put Nicaragua alongside nations like Chile and El Salvador in imposing a blanket ban on abortions. Previously, abortions in Nicaragua were allowed for women who were victims of rape and incest or if their lives were in danger.
The Supreme Court, seen as free from political pressure, has no set date or time frame to rule on the case.
They urged the Central American nation's top court to declare the law, which was passed in Octoer and went into effect last year, as unconstitutional on grounds it violates 'fundamental rights and principles'.
Nicaraguan lawmakers approved the bill with support from two right-wing parties and leftist legislators from the Sandinista party of Daniel Ortega, the president elect who takes office on Wednesday.
Sandinista legislators backed the bill, also sought by Nicaragua's powerful Catholic Church, only a week before presidential elections to avoid alienating church leaders and religious voters.
It put Nicaragua alongside nations like Chile and El Salvador in imposing a blanket ban on abortions. Previously, abortions in Nicaragua were allowed for women who were victims of rape and incest or if their lives were in danger.
The Supreme Court, seen as free from political pressure, has no set date or time frame to rule on the case.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
64% Support Abortion in Ireland
A large survey by ESRI/RCSI research, the Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships, and released in October has found that 64% of the population believes that abortion is permissable in at least some circumstances, in comparison to 36% who believe that abortion is wrong in all circumstances. Younger people and those who identify as more religious tend to view abortion as always wrong.
Only 9% believe that the use of emergency contraception is always wrong.
Only 9% believe that the use of emergency contraception is always wrong.
The Church and Abortion in Portugal
New Abortion Referendum in Portugal
In Portugal, where some 20,000 illegal abortions take place each year, and a further 2,000 travel to Spain for the procedure, the Government has announced that there will be a referendum held in Portugal on February 11th next year to allow for legal, voluntary abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. A similar referendum was rejected in 1998.
In past years, the Catholic heirarchy has been outspoken on social issues, especially abortion, and initially announced a change of tack for the forthcoming referendum when it was announced in October. When asked what advice he would give to undecided voters in the abortion referendum, Cardinal Jose de Cruz Policarpo, the patriarch of Lisbon, responded, 'I think that, if I had doubts about such a crucial problem, I, in their place, would abstain'. He recanted the next day, following widespread criticism from conservatives, and called for a 'no' vote.
In Portugal, where some 20,000 illegal abortions take place each year, and a further 2,000 travel to Spain for the procedure, the Government has announced that there will be a referendum held in Portugal on February 11th next year to allow for legal, voluntary abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. A similar referendum was rejected in 1998.
In past years, the Catholic heirarchy has been outspoken on social issues, especially abortion, and initially announced a change of tack for the forthcoming referendum when it was announced in October. When asked what advice he would give to undecided voters in the abortion referendum, Cardinal Jose de Cruz Policarpo, the patriarch of Lisbon, responded, 'I think that, if I had doubts about such a crucial problem, I, in their place, would abstain'. He recanted the next day, following widespread criticism from conservatives, and called for a 'no' vote.
The Church and Abortion in Portugal
New Abortion Referendum in Portugal
In Portugal, where some 20,000 illegal abortions take place each year, and a further 2,000 travel to Spain for the procedure, the Government has announced that there will be a referendum held in Portugal on February 11th next year to allow for legal, voluntary abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. A similar referendum was rejected in 1998.
In past years, the Catholic heirarchy has been outspoken on social issues, especially abortion, and initially announced a change of tack for the forthcoming referendum when it was announced in October. When asked what advice he would give to undecided voters in the abortion referendum, Cardinal Jose de Cruz Policarpo, the patriarch of Lisbon, responded, 'I think that, if I had doubts about such a crucial problem, I, in their place, would abstain'. He recanted the next day, following widespread criticism from conservatives, and called for a 'no' vote.
In Portugal, where some 20,000 illegal abortions take place each year, and a further 2,000 travel to Spain for the procedure, the Government has announced that there will be a referendum held in Portugal on February 11th next year to allow for legal, voluntary abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. A similar referendum was rejected in 1998.
In past years, the Catholic heirarchy has been outspoken on social issues, especially abortion, and initially announced a change of tack for the forthcoming referendum when it was announced in October. When asked what advice he would give to undecided voters in the abortion referendum, Cardinal Jose de Cruz Policarpo, the patriarch of Lisbon, responded, 'I think that, if I had doubts about such a crucial problem, I, in their place, would abstain'. He recanted the next day, following widespread criticism from conservatives, and called for a 'no' vote.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Portuguese Referendum
The Portuguese President of the Republic, Anibal Cavaco Silva, has finally scheduled the referendum on abortion, it will take place on February 11th next year.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Poll Shows Its Time To Relax The Abortion Law in UK
From Anne Quesney, Director of Abortion Rights, the national pro-choice campaign in the UK.
A MORI poll released on Tuesday 28th November shows strong support- 63% - for a woman's right to end an unwanted pregnancy. The results are in line with previous studies, indicating a sustained majority support the liberalisation of the abortion law in Britain.
Currently, women require the permission of two doctors before they can access an abortion. Some doctors oppose all abortion and can veto women's decisions or create unfair obstacles to services. NHS waiting lists can delay women by up to eight weeks and abortion is still denied to women in Northern Ireland.
Forty years after abortion was legalised in Britian, it is time law was brought in line with public opinion and laws in the US and other European countries where abortion is available at the request of the woman.
The poll also shows a further 54 per cent agreed that 'abortion should be allowed to take place up to 24 weeks, when two doctors agree it is best for the woman's physical or mental health', 28 per cent disagreed, 13 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed and 6 per cent did not know.
The results confirm our experience that people are sympathetic to the needs of the tiny proportion of women who need later abortion. This is significant given the dominance of the minority anti-choice lobby in the abortion debate over the past two years. The poll shows that, when given even basic information about the current safeguards and the small numbers of women involved, there is public support for women's right to make their own decisions about later abortion.
A MORI poll released on Tuesday 28th November shows strong support- 63% - for a woman's right to end an unwanted pregnancy. The results are in line with previous studies, indicating a sustained majority support the liberalisation of the abortion law in Britain.
Currently, women require the permission of two doctors before they can access an abortion. Some doctors oppose all abortion and can veto women's decisions or create unfair obstacles to services. NHS waiting lists can delay women by up to eight weeks and abortion is still denied to women in Northern Ireland.
Forty years after abortion was legalised in Britian, it is time law was brought in line with public opinion and laws in the US and other European countries where abortion is available at the request of the woman.
The poll also shows a further 54 per cent agreed that 'abortion should be allowed to take place up to 24 weeks, when two doctors agree it is best for the woman's physical or mental health', 28 per cent disagreed, 13 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed and 6 per cent did not know.
The results confirm our experience that people are sympathetic to the needs of the tiny proportion of women who need later abortion. This is significant given the dominance of the minority anti-choice lobby in the abortion debate over the past two years. The poll shows that, when given even basic information about the current safeguards and the small numbers of women involved, there is public support for women's right to make their own decisions about later abortion.
safeandlegal
Mother Gave Birth in Field After Abortion
by Breandán Morley Irish Independent 30/11/06
A woman, pregnant and under huge financial pressure, told an inquest how she paid for an illegal abortion and gave birth to her full-term son in a field.
The Lithuanian woman (26) said the baby was not breathing and was blue, and that she held him in her arms for a long time.
An autopsy was unable to determine if the infant of around 36 weeks gestation, had been born alive. The baby's remains were found in a disused farm shed at Ballybrittas, near Kildalkey, Co Meath on May 2nd, by a builder who had taken shelter from heavy rain.
An appeal by gardaí for the mother to come forward eventually led to the Lithuanian woman living in the nearby town of Athboy and working as a barmaid.
Recalling the day she drove out to Kildalkey, the woman who has a child in national school said: 'I held the baby in my arms. It was a boy. He was not breathing, his eyes were closed. I was crying as I held the baby. I touched his face, which was light blue. His nose was cold. I wiped his face clean with my shirt. I was looking at him and holding him for a long time. I was in pain. I don't remember what happened next'.
The woman was present at the inquest in Navan last Thursday, accompanied by an interpreter. Through her solicitor, she did not dispute the verdict of the inquest- that the baby had died 'of undetermined causes, following a self-induced miscarriage'. The jury had been dismissed by the coroner, John Lacy, before the case was heard.
The petite Lithuanian previously admitted to gardaí she was in a desperate financial situation when she realised she was pregnant. Her partner- whom she refused to name- put pressure on her not to have the baby.
She was expected to send money home to her parents in Lithuania and then a brother arrived who could not find a job. She had to support him as well and was working two jobs to make ends meet. Then her partner left. 'Everything went into one- it all happened in a short space. I was in shock. If not, I would have kept the baby'.
She asked around among her female friends to see if any of them knew how she could procure an abortion and was put in touch with a man who spoke Russian.
He visited her at her place of work early in January. The cost of the abortion was to be €500 to €800, depending on how much medication was required. The woman said she had to sign 'legal papers' promising she would never speak about the abortion to anybody, including her family, and absolving this person of all responsibility if things went wrong. Medication was duly provided and the next day she began to bleed.
Gardaí said a file had been sent to the DPP(Director of Public Prosecutions), who declined to press charges.
by Breandán Morley Irish Independent 30/11/06
A woman, pregnant and under huge financial pressure, told an inquest how she paid for an illegal abortion and gave birth to her full-term son in a field.
The Lithuanian woman (26) said the baby was not breathing and was blue, and that she held him in her arms for a long time.
An autopsy was unable to determine if the infant of around 36 weeks gestation, had been born alive. The baby's remains were found in a disused farm shed at Ballybrittas, near Kildalkey, Co Meath on May 2nd, by a builder who had taken shelter from heavy rain.
An appeal by gardaí for the mother to come forward eventually led to the Lithuanian woman living in the nearby town of Athboy and working as a barmaid.
Recalling the day she drove out to Kildalkey, the woman who has a child in national school said: 'I held the baby in my arms. It was a boy. He was not breathing, his eyes were closed. I was crying as I held the baby. I touched his face, which was light blue. His nose was cold. I wiped his face clean with my shirt. I was looking at him and holding him for a long time. I was in pain. I don't remember what happened next'.
The woman was present at the inquest in Navan last Thursday, accompanied by an interpreter. Through her solicitor, she did not dispute the verdict of the inquest- that the baby had died 'of undetermined causes, following a self-induced miscarriage'. The jury had been dismissed by the coroner, John Lacy, before the case was heard.
The petite Lithuanian previously admitted to gardaí she was in a desperate financial situation when she realised she was pregnant. Her partner- whom she refused to name- put pressure on her not to have the baby.
She was expected to send money home to her parents in Lithuania and then a brother arrived who could not find a job. She had to support him as well and was working two jobs to make ends meet. Then her partner left. 'Everything went into one- it all happened in a short space. I was in shock. If not, I would have kept the baby'.
She asked around among her female friends to see if any of them knew how she could procure an abortion and was put in touch with a man who spoke Russian.
He visited her at her place of work early in January. The cost of the abortion was to be €500 to €800, depending on how much medication was required. The woman said she had to sign 'legal papers' promising she would never speak about the abortion to anybody, including her family, and absolving this person of all responsibility if things went wrong. Medication was duly provided and the next day she began to bleed.
Gardaí said a file had been sent to the DPP(Director of Public Prosecutions), who declined to press charges.
Abortion is A Woman's Right
Abortion is a Woman's Right- Letter to the Irish Independent Monday November 27th
I refer to Eilis Grealy's comments (Letters, November 23). It should be a woman's basic right to have an abortion if and when she chooses to do so, especially if she has been put into the situation without her consent, that is, if she was raped, or her first choice method of contraception has failed, for example, the pill.
Why can't all these pro lifers just keep their nose out of issues that don't concern them?
They won't ever be needing abortions, so why deny them to women who do need them?
I don't smoke. It does n't mean I have the power to deny my friends and family their nicotine fix (even though their smoke harms me).
Maybe Eilis should take off her rose tinted glasses and realise that no pro life organisation or priest can put food on the table, clothes on a child and money in a mother's purse in the event of an unwanted pregnancy.
Fiona Wyse,
Brindley Park,
Ashbourne,
Co Meath.
I refer to Eilis Grealy's comments (Letters, November 23). It should be a woman's basic right to have an abortion if and when she chooses to do so, especially if she has been put into the situation without her consent, that is, if she was raped, or her first choice method of contraception has failed, for example, the pill.
Why can't all these pro lifers just keep their nose out of issues that don't concern them?
They won't ever be needing abortions, so why deny them to women who do need them?
I don't smoke. It does n't mean I have the power to deny my friends and family their nicotine fix (even though their smoke harms me).
Maybe Eilis should take off her rose tinted glasses and realise that no pro life organisation or priest can put food on the table, clothes on a child and money in a mother's purse in the event of an unwanted pregnancy.
Fiona Wyse,
Brindley Park,
Ashbourne,
Co Meath.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Take Off 'Catholic Glasses' Judges Told
A Human rights attorney who overturned Columbia's constitutional ban on abortion has urged Irish judges to remove their 'Catholic glasses'.
Monica Roa (30), who has been the victim of death threats, burglaries and has even been accused of plotting genocide, said Irish judges should eliminate personal and religious bias when confronted with complex cases involving the rights of the unborn and women's reproductive rights, including abortion.
Ms Roa- whose historic legal action has compelled all public health hospitals in Colombia, where 90% of the population are Catholic, to perform abortions in limited circumstances- said education of judges was critical to any legal attempts to liberalise Ireland's restrictive abortion regime.
'It is really hard for judges to understand that they have to apply the law without reference to their own personal beliefs' she said addressing a Safe & Legal Pro-Choice forum in Dublin last night.
Ms Roa, who has interviewed judges around the world as part of an international study of legal strategies used to advance women's reproductive rights, said judges must 'take off those Catholic glasses' and rule without bias.
'Judicial bias is a major conflict throughout the world' said Ms Roa, who is the director of the Gender Justice Programme at Womens Link Worldwide, a non-governmental organisation that advances women's rights through the implementation of international human rights law.
The attorney, who travels at all times with a bodyguard, siad: 'In Ireland, as in Colombia, most judges are Catholic or have been educated in Catholic schools. It is really difficult for them to take off those Catholic glasses and look at the law and international laws without that bias. The first step to overcoming bias is to be aware of it'.
Last May, Colombia's constitutional court partially lifted the abortion ban, allowing pregnancy terminations in cases of severe foetal deformity; when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or when the mother's life is at risk.
Ms Roa's visit to Ireland coincides with an Irish Government announcement that new laws will be introduced to deal with the issues raised in this week's frozen embryo ruling.
Monica Roa (30), who has been the victim of death threats, burglaries and has even been accused of plotting genocide, said Irish judges should eliminate personal and religious bias when confronted with complex cases involving the rights of the unborn and women's reproductive rights, including abortion.
Ms Roa- whose historic legal action has compelled all public health hospitals in Colombia, where 90% of the population are Catholic, to perform abortions in limited circumstances- said education of judges was critical to any legal attempts to liberalise Ireland's restrictive abortion regime.
'It is really hard for judges to understand that they have to apply the law without reference to their own personal beliefs' she said addressing a Safe & Legal Pro-Choice forum in Dublin last night.
Ms Roa, who has interviewed judges around the world as part of an international study of legal strategies used to advance women's reproductive rights, said judges must 'take off those Catholic glasses' and rule without bias.
'Judicial bias is a major conflict throughout the world' said Ms Roa, who is the director of the Gender Justice Programme at Womens Link Worldwide, a non-governmental organisation that advances women's rights through the implementation of international human rights law.
The attorney, who travels at all times with a bodyguard, siad: 'In Ireland, as in Colombia, most judges are Catholic or have been educated in Catholic schools. It is really difficult for them to take off those Catholic glasses and look at the law and international laws without that bias. The first step to overcoming bias is to be aware of it'.
Last May, Colombia's constitutional court partially lifted the abortion ban, allowing pregnancy terminations in cases of severe foetal deformity; when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or when the mother's life is at risk.
Ms Roa's visit to Ireland coincides with an Irish Government announcement that new laws will be introduced to deal with the issues raised in this week's frozen embryo ruling.
Friday, November 03, 2006
SAFE & LEGAL FORUM SERIES
The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign will be holding a SAFE & LEGAL FORUM in November.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 13TH
WESTIN HOTEL, WESTMORELAND STREET, DUBLIN 2
7.30PM
LOUISE HUTCHINS
ABORTION RIGHTS UK
'Abortion Rights and Advocacy in Britain'
NIALL BEHAN
IFPA
'The Irish Experience and Options for the Future'
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 17TH
WESTIN HOTEL, WESTMORELAND STREET, D.2
7.30PM
MONICA ROA
WOMENSLINK WORLDWIDE
'A Human Rights Approach-Success on Abortion in Colombia'
CATHERINE FORDE
SAFE AND LEGAL(IN IRELAND) ABORTION RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
'Human Rights Based Strategies and Abortion in Ireland'.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 13TH
WESTIN HOTEL, WESTMORELAND STREET, DUBLIN 2
7.30PM
LOUISE HUTCHINS
ABORTION RIGHTS UK
'Abortion Rights and Advocacy in Britain'
NIALL BEHAN
IFPA
'The Irish Experience and Options for the Future'
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 17TH
WESTIN HOTEL, WESTMORELAND STREET, D.2
7.30PM
MONICA ROA
WOMENSLINK WORLDWIDE
'A Human Rights Approach-Success on Abortion in Colombia'
CATHERINE FORDE
SAFE AND LEGAL(IN IRELAND) ABORTION RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
'Human Rights Based Strategies and Abortion in Ireland'.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The X Case: Abortion after rape
February 1992: A 14 year old girl was raped by a neighbour and fell pregnant. The girl told her mother she was suicidal and the family travelled to Britain for an abortion. However, before the procedure, the family asked gardaí if DNA from her foetus could be used as evidence in a court case against the neighbour.
The then Attorney General, Harry Whelehan, heard about the case and was granted a High Court injunction under the Constitution to prevent the procedure from going ahead.
However, the injunction was appealed in the Supreme Court, which overturned it by a majority of three to two. The court's opinion was that a woman had a right to an abortion if there was a real and substantial risk to her life. In any case, the girl miscarried soon after the judgement was made.
The case led to three proposed amendments to the Constitution, which were the subject of a national referendum in 1992. Two of the amendments-concerning the right to travel for an abortion and the right to information about the procedure-were passed, while the other-to ban abortions, even if the mother was suicidal-was defeated.
Following the X Case, politicians promised legislation to cover situations like the X Case. Nearly 15 years later, we are still waiting.
The then Attorney General, Harry Whelehan, heard about the case and was granted a High Court injunction under the Constitution to prevent the procedure from going ahead.
However, the injunction was appealed in the Supreme Court, which overturned it by a majority of three to two. The court's opinion was that a woman had a right to an abortion if there was a real and substantial risk to her life. In any case, the girl miscarried soon after the judgement was made.
The case led to three proposed amendments to the Constitution, which were the subject of a national referendum in 1992. Two of the amendments-concerning the right to travel for an abortion and the right to information about the procedure-were passed, while the other-to ban abortions, even if the mother was suicidal-was defeated.
Following the X Case, politicians promised legislation to cover situations like the X Case. Nearly 15 years later, we are still waiting.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
TIMELINE ON ABORTION IN IRELAND
1861: Abortion is made a criminal offence in Ireland.
1983: Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution is amended to protect 'the right to life of the unborn'.
1988: Ban on dissemination of abortion information from the Supreme Court, but it is appealed.
February 1992: The X case- Mr Justice Costello grants a High Court injunction preventing a 14 year old, pregnant as a result of rape, from travelling to Britain for an abortion.
November 1992: Two referendums passed which amend Article 40.3.3 to protect the rights to travel and information.
1995: Legislation to provide for abortion information and the right to travel introduced.
1998: The Government establishes an Inter-departmental Working Group on Abortion.
1999: Green Paper on Abortion published, laying out options for reform.
November 2000: An All-Party Oireachtas Committee on abortion publishes its report and fails to reach consensus. A subcommittee then makes a recommendation.
October 2001: Plan for a referendum to allow abortion where a woman's life is at risk from pregnancy, but not suicide.
2002: Referendum, which sought to roll back the Supreme Court decision of 1992, was defeated by 50.42% to 49.58%.
2004: Crisis Pregnancy Agency study finds nearly one in three woman had experienced a crisis pregnancy.
May 2005: Pro-Life Campaign says it intends to lobby for another referendum 'to restore legal protection to the unborn'
August 2005: Irish Family Planning Association launches campaign to demand legal abortion services in Ireland.
October 2006: The largest survey on sexual health in Ireland finds that 64% of people see abortion as acceptable in certain circumstances.
1983: Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution is amended to protect 'the right to life of the unborn'.
1988: Ban on dissemination of abortion information from the Supreme Court, but it is appealed.
February 1992: The X case- Mr Justice Costello grants a High Court injunction preventing a 14 year old, pregnant as a result of rape, from travelling to Britain for an abortion.
November 1992: Two referendums passed which amend Article 40.3.3 to protect the rights to travel and information.
1995: Legislation to provide for abortion information and the right to travel introduced.
1998: The Government establishes an Inter-departmental Working Group on Abortion.
1999: Green Paper on Abortion published, laying out options for reform.
November 2000: An All-Party Oireachtas Committee on abortion publishes its report and fails to reach consensus. A subcommittee then makes a recommendation.
October 2001: Plan for a referendum to allow abortion where a woman's life is at risk from pregnancy, but not suicide.
2002: Referendum, which sought to roll back the Supreme Court decision of 1992, was defeated by 50.42% to 49.58%.
2004: Crisis Pregnancy Agency study finds nearly one in three woman had experienced a crisis pregnancy.
May 2005: Pro-Life Campaign says it intends to lobby for another referendum 'to restore legal protection to the unborn'
August 2005: Irish Family Planning Association launches campaign to demand legal abortion services in Ireland.
October 2006: The largest survey on sexual health in Ireland finds that 64% of people see abortion as acceptable in certain circumstances.
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