Bloody hell, I can’t believe it has been twenty-years since the X-Case. I remember it as though it was yesterday. I remember the fury I felt at the hand wringing and finger-pointing while a young blameless girl went through the wringer, how her views, her torture were dismissed so easily by so many.
And yet here we are, still exporting our problems to the UK, twenty years on. Still content to sit back and warm our hands by the moral fire while over 4000 women a year travel abroad to terminate their pregnancies. Not our problem, head in the sand. Cowardly.
I doubt Enda or his cohorts have the stomach to introduce legislation, but I suppose I could be wrong. We’ll see. I wonder how many women travelled today. Poor women.
February 6, 2012 at 11:58 am |
It averages about 12 women a day I think. Can’t believe it’s been 20 years. Kathy Sheridan’s piece in the Times was excellent.
I’ve thought about that girl Miss X a lot over the weekend. She’d be the same age as me now. I wonder where she is and how she is.
February 6, 2012 at 1:29 pm |
Not a chance FG will legislate, the morally outraged troops on the back benches are way too busy trying to orchestrate a u-turn on the Vatican embassy decision.
February 6, 2012 at 1:39 pm |
I saw that, C, shaking rosary beads about the place. Nonsense.
Me too K, I hope she’s happy, where ever she is.
February 6, 2012 at 7:15 pm |
Enda is a coward, he will not address this issue. he is pissing his pants over the vatican embassy now. You know my opinion but I read that article in the Times and I am amazed at the utter contempt there seemed to have been for a child victim of abuse. The implications people made about her and the fact that so much emphasis was placed on how the perpetrators business had suffered. It is revolting, not least the fact that he went on to do it again. I just don’t understand the mentality that tries to vilify the obvious victim. Was it just men trying to oppress women? And if so why did so many women jump on the band wagon? Was it religion? What sort of people thought it was ok make a child go through a bigger ordeal that she had already gone through? I have no doubt if this happened tomorrow, you would have the same shower out in protest. But why?
And when you say legislate, do you mean legalise abortion here for all women or do you just mean this particular case?
February 6, 2012 at 8:30 pm |
Our current position- as I understand it- contravenes the ECHR, that there should be available safe and legal abortion in this country should a woman qualify for one. But being Ireland, it has not been legislated and as such we’re in a no man’s land where we export, regardless of the situation. I may stand corrected on this, but that’s my understanding thus far.
February 6, 2012 at 10:06 pm |
Yep, basically where there is a threat to the womens life. And we do have case law in place but as you rightly said we need to legislate for it. It would mean you don’t have people like that nurse in Cork, dying from cancer whilst the hospital board pussyfooted around the issue. I personally think our abortion laws should mirror Britans. We already had a referendum on this and it was a narrow victory for Pro Choice advocates. I don’t think a second referendum would be successful. And I don’t think FG will be offering one anytime soon. I think there is another few hundred years of women hating left in this country.
February 7, 2012 at 12:32 am |
The irish government is about 20 years behind reality, particularly FG.
February 17, 2012 at 1:37 pm |
The X Case heard no medical evidence and numerous studies since 1992 have shown that abortion carries negative effects for women, as well as their babies.
This issue may be unpalatable, but we cannot ignore it. Crisis pregnancy services are crying out for funding and resources, not to mention the war being waged on child benefit under the auspices of austerity.
Women deserve better than abortion. Refuse to choose.
February 17, 2012 at 1:44 pm |
Some women might find abortion negative, many don’t. I know more than one woman who has had an abortion and they are perfectly happy with their decision. And it IS their decision. Women DESERVE choice about their reproduction.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/09/abortions-mental-illness-survey?newsfeed=true