June 11, 2015

Ireland´s ban on abortion: Out of sight, out of mind.

editor:	Nurcan Özdemir

Ireland is the first country in the world to legalise same sex marriage by popular vote. Ireland is also the only democratic country to have a constitutional ban on abortion. A law passed in 1983 states that the right to life of a pregnant woman can’t be privileged over the right to life of a foetus. Ireland refused to engage in abortion law reform, instead the government is relying on the “safety valve” of women travelling to England and other countries, abdicating ist responsibility to face the issue. Out of sight, out of mind.

In 2012, the ban cost the life of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old woman who was denied a medically-indicated abortion in an Irish hospital following a miscarriage. She died of blood poisoning shortly after. Finally the Irish legislature was forced to act and respond to the outcry followed by nationwide protests. It passed the „Protection of Life During Pregnenacy Act“ in 2013 – which did not change much.

It makes abortion legal, yes, but only if the life of the mother is at risk, including through suicide. In short: you can only have an abortion if you will die otherwise. Not if you were raped, not if the foetus is severely injured, not if you face serious health risks that won’t necessarily result in death - like cancer, heart disease or organ damage and definitely not if you have other personal reasons. The United Nations already classifies the lack of access to abortion as torture and seeking one under the given conditions is a slow, bureaucratic violation of humanity.

According to a new report published by Amnesty International, every day between 10 and 12 women and girls are crossing Ireland´s borders to seek an abortion in the UK or other European countries. That is 4000 women a year. Some of them have been carrying a dead foetus in their body for days.

Women who don´t have the opportunity are risking their health, their lives with illegal abortions or prison sentences up to 14 years - which by the way also applies for doctors and medical consultants supporting abortions. The report comes two and a half years after Halappanavar´s preventable death and almost a year after a suicidal teenager was denied an abortion after being raped, the Guardian reports.

Legalising same sex marriage was a big and important gesture of love, support and freedom. If people can create an Ireland to celebrate LGBT´s rights, people should stand up for the decriminalization of women´s rights.

Image: Cathal Mcnaughton / The Guardian