I am pro-choice | Ireland 2018 abortion referendum
The Ireland abortion referendum is coming up on the 25th May 2018, where Irish people will vote as to whether or not abortion should be a legal practice in Ireland, as it is currently illegal. On the BBC website it summarises abortion:
"Taking drugs to bring on a miscarriage without doctors' consent is still technically an offence anywhere in the UK under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. But in England, Scotland and Wales an abortion can be legally carried out up to the 24-week limit and can be legal beyond that limit in cases where the mother's health is threatened or if there is a substantial risk the baby will have serious disabilities."
Sadly, women in Ireland often buy online termination pills to induce a miscarridge instead of going through with their pregnancy, as they cannot afford to fly to England to have their abortion legalised. Even more saddening, is that even when women successfully have England- based abortions, when they travel home there is an awful backlash and stigma against these women, as they are seen as baby killers, murderers or anything else along those lines. Women also have illegal abortions, or better known as 'back street abortions' or even trying to terminate their own pregnancies, such as jumping off high buildings or using coat hangers etc. It might seem really barbaric to you reading, and that's because it is.
I am so blessed my country, England, has legal abortion systems in place, and I am able to have one without becoming a criminal, and also without anyone knowing if that is what I chose to do. It makes me so enraged and upset that these poor girls have to travel to my country just to make a choice that must be so hard in the first place to decide on. You might ask why can't they have their child and put it up for adoption? I personally think this is a really negative view on abortion and fails to see the bigger picture. Adoption is a completely different issue. It is a world wide problem, with millions of children waiting for a family to adopt or foster them. Not only this, but the mother and father of the child put up for adoption now has a living biological child in the world, who is tied to them genetically. This is not something many people could live with, or feel comfortable doing. Often the child may go looking for their biological parents which is another thing many people do not feel okay with, which is completely fair enough.
Ireland, if you didn't know, is mainly a Catholic country, and has been at war with itself for hundreds of years over religion. Northern and Southern Ireland are different in attitudes, but not quite so different in their general views on abortion. In their eyes, abortion is murdering a child. However in pro-choice eyes, it is saving the parents from a lifetime of misery. Surely the living person who has developed, has a life, emotions, families, friends, dreams, goals, and feeling means more than the undeveloped foetus?
The BBC goes on to say:
"In 1945, the Infant Life (Preservation) Act, which permits terminations to preserve the life of the mother, was extended to Northern Ireland. Guidelines issued in March by the Northern Ireland Executive state that access to abortion is only permitted if a woman's life is at risk or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.
"Taking drugs to bring on a miscarriage without doctors' consent is still technically an offence anywhere in the UK under the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. But in England, Scotland and Wales an abortion can be legally carried out up to the 24-week limit and can be legal beyond that limit in cases where the mother's health is threatened or if there is a substantial risk the baby will have serious disabilities."
Sadly, women in Ireland often buy online termination pills to induce a miscarridge instead of going through with their pregnancy, as they cannot afford to fly to England to have their abortion legalised. Even more saddening, is that even when women successfully have England- based abortions, when they travel home there is an awful backlash and stigma against these women, as they are seen as baby killers, murderers or anything else along those lines. Women also have illegal abortions, or better known as 'back street abortions' or even trying to terminate their own pregnancies, such as jumping off high buildings or using coat hangers etc. It might seem really barbaric to you reading, and that's because it is.
I am so blessed my country, England, has legal abortion systems in place, and I am able to have one without becoming a criminal, and also without anyone knowing if that is what I chose to do. It makes me so enraged and upset that these poor girls have to travel to my country just to make a choice that must be so hard in the first place to decide on. You might ask why can't they have their child and put it up for adoption? I personally think this is a really negative view on abortion and fails to see the bigger picture. Adoption is a completely different issue. It is a world wide problem, with millions of children waiting for a family to adopt or foster them. Not only this, but the mother and father of the child put up for adoption now has a living biological child in the world, who is tied to them genetically. This is not something many people could live with, or feel comfortable doing. Often the child may go looking for their biological parents which is another thing many people do not feel okay with, which is completely fair enough.
Ireland, if you didn't know, is mainly a Catholic country, and has been at war with itself for hundreds of years over religion. Northern and Southern Ireland are different in attitudes, but not quite so different in their general views on abortion. In their eyes, abortion is murdering a child. However in pro-choice eyes, it is saving the parents from a lifetime of misery. Surely the living person who has developed, has a life, emotions, families, friends, dreams, goals, and feeling means more than the undeveloped foetus?
The BBC goes on to say:
"In 1945, the Infant Life (Preservation) Act, which permits terminations to preserve the life of the mother, was extended to Northern Ireland. Guidelines issued in March by the Northern Ireland Executive state that access to abortion is only permitted if a woman's life is at risk or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.
Fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest are not circumstances in which abortions can be performed legally. The High Court recently ruled that this was incompatible with the human rights of women, but the law can only be changed by legislators"
Lets just repeat that shall we? "Fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest are NOT circumstances in which abortions can be performed legally". My mind is boggled. RAPE?! INCEST!? THE FOETUS DYING?! These aren't even cause for the abortion to be performed!!!! It makes me so mad and confused. These poor women. Poor fathers. What if they're abused or practicing safe sex and something goes wrong? These people deserve a way to put things back on track.
I am in no way shape or form saying abortion is a method of contraception, and there should be a firm rule book in place regarding people having these done and whether they should be allowed them in the future if, say, they kept using abortion as contraception.
BBC:
"There were 16 terminations of pregnancy in hospitals in Northern Ireland, which has a population of 1.8 million, during 2014/15, down from 23 over the previous 12 months. By contrast there were 184,571 abortions in England and Wales, which has a total population of 56 million, during 2014 and 185,311 in 2013, according to the Department of Health."
"Of course, these figures don't reflect the total number of Northern Irish women who have abortions. In 2014 the Family Planning Association (FPA) says there were 837 abortions performed in England to Northern Ireland residents. A smaller number are thought to travel to Scotland and Wales. Because women from Northern Ireland are not entitled to free abortions on the NHS in England, they must fund the cost of the procedure from their own pocket on top of paying for travel and accommodation, a situation pro-choice campaigners say disproportionately affects the poorest."
I would really urge you to read the rest of the article as it contains so much more information on it. Thank you so much for reading. Please check these links below. Let's repeal the 8th.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35980195
Another video which is really insightful is by an Irish girl, Jessica, who made a video about this topic and upcoming vote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB8xCSz0X1k
And her sister, Melanie, made a short film based on abortion and the stigma in Ireland:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUbIV-KRlJg
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