Abortion issue needs to be dealt with now

If the political parties here were unable to agree on a joint approach to our economic crisis, there is less chance of them agreeing on the more divisive issue of abortion.

However, last week’s ruling on the issue by the European Court of Human Rights forces the political system to grasp the nettle at last. The court found that abortion, in certain circumstances, must be legalised here.
While the judgement should have come as no surprise, it was the last thing the political parties wanted from Europe now or at any other time. It is tough enough to have to deal with the economy without having to legislate for abortion as well.
The present Government is not going to do anything about the matter and Health Minister Mary Harney has already indicated that.
Fine Gael said it would give “careful and detailed consideration” to the implications of the ruling. That is code for saying they are going to kick for touch. As if the question of abortion had not been given careful and detailed consideration in this country on several occasions over the last four decades.
There are two extreme views on the issue; one is that abortion should not be allowed under any circumstances. The other is that abortion should be freely available Those two extreme views can never be reconciled.
However, in between those two views, there are the views of people who believe abortion should be available in cases of rape, in cases where the life or the health of the mother is at risk and in cases of other unwanted pregnancies, up to certain limits.
There is one thing clear and that is that no matter what our views are now, the State is bound by the European Court ruling and the longer it refuses to legislate for lawful abortion, the longer it continues to violate a binding court ruling.
So whether the political parties like it or not, they will have to deal with this matter and stop interfering with the rights of women they are forcing to go abroad to seek abortions.
Our reputation was badly damaged in Europe over recent weeks because of our failure to handle our economy. It will be further damaged if we continue to deny humans rights to women in Ireland.
Ireland is a different country today to what it was when the right to life of the unborn child was enshrined in the Constitution in 1983. I believe a majority now would be in favour of abortion in certain cases and that the political parties would have little to fear if they legislated accordingly.
The problem, of course, is that politicians in general are a spineless lot and none of them wants to alienate any of their supporters or potential voters. Better to do nothing than to risk losing votes here and there. However, I also believe the Irish electorate appreciate a bit of spunk.
Putting all that aside, however, the political system here is going to have no choice but legislate, given that European ruling.
There is no need for a new referendum, despite the calls from those on the conservative far right. We certainly do not want sermons from old bachelors who did very little over the years to protect young innocent children in their care from evil men they allowed to prey on them. Those people were far more concerned about their own reputations than they were about children in their care. They have always been more concerned about unborn children than about those already born.
Hopefully, the new government will not be influenced by interests other than those it is elected to serve. However, I have my doubts about Fine Gael in this mattter. It is just as cowardly as Fianna Fáil.
Hopefully also the new Fianna Fáil we are going to see in the Dáil after the election will not adopt a hypocritical attitude to the issue of abortion and oppose every attempt by the new coalition to legislation on the matter.
This new slimmed down version of the old Fianna Fáil will be anxious to recruit new supporters. It will be particularly anxious to attract some of the support it is going to lose in the greater Dublin area. One way to do that is by projecting itself as a youthful, progressive party to replace the old, mainly rural-based party of de Valera and all his conservative ideas.
I would expect the Labour Party to be to the forefront in supporting abortion legislation. However, having seen how they skilfully dodged answering questions about how they would solve the economic crisis, I suspect they will find it equally comfortable to sit on the fence on the abortion issue.
As regards Sinn Féin, that party has mastered the art of proclaiming “these are our principles and if you don’t like them we’ll change them”.
So, once again, we are going to Europe for help. Our politicians have been unable and unwilling to legislate in accordance with the wishes of the people expressed in referenda as far back as 1992. So now they are being forced to do so by the European Court of Human Rights.
Let them get on with it in the New Year and stop making a show of us.
Nollaig Shona do mo léitheoirí go léir.