Legislative common sense is seeping in

THE CIAN EDGE

The results of the Irish Times Behaviour and Attitudes poll published recently make for very refreshing reading. The stats reveal a tolerant, mature nation with clearly formed ideas on morality, ethics and social progress.

It seems that many years of reality have seeped into the national psyche and left the people of Ireland with a clear picture of what they are willing to accept and, more importantly, what they wish for Ireland in a legislative sense.
For many years many thousands of Irish women have been forced to make the lonely journey to Britain to obtain an abortion. In many cases they have kept their trip secret from even those closest to them and lived with the weight of that secrecy for the rest of their lives.
This reality seems at last to have seeped into the national consciousness and with it an understanding of the great trauma it brings. The survey reveals that 49% of those surveyed would help a friend to get an abortion were one required and very interestingly 39% of those who described themselves as moderately religious would do the same.
While these figures might not be sufficient to pass a referendum on the subject they certainly indicate that the time has come for an open, frank and serious discussion of the issue. Unfortunately this is unlikely to happen any time soon given the conservative nature of Irish politicians.
The same is unfortunately true of the issue of assisted dying. Unlike abortion, the death of a loved one is something that will figure in the lives of practically the entire population. For this reason the survey results reflect the experiences of many people who have watched those they love suffer long, drawn out and sometimes painful deaths because our legislation will not allow assisted dying. 55% of those surveyed said they would support legislation on this issue. Despite this figure the issue remains firmly on the back burner and unlikely to make it into the political limelight any time soon.
The reasons for this are many fold but it is difficult not to be extremely suspicious that the influence of the church on the state remains a stumbling block.
Certainly a major issue for politicians is the outcry from religious extremists that would greet open political engagement on either of the topics mentioned above.
Even though abortion is a daily fact for many women and couples in the country it remains off the political radar. Despite this, it is not unusual to see the extremists on the streets with large placards plastered with images of aborted foetuses. If this is what these extremists will push in people’s faces when the issue is not being discussed then it is not difficult to imagine what they may resort to if the issue ever became live.
In a way it is not difficult to understand why politicians wish to avoid an issue such as abortion. The religious extremists in the Christian faith who campaign on the issue have a fearsome reputation and there is no doubt that anyone who introduces legislation on the issue will be subjected to a ferocious hate campaign.
No matter how brave a legislator is he or she will be wary about exposing their family to the kind of intimidation usually employed by these campaigners.
While this is very sad and disappointing it is understandable. This leaves us however with a dark reality. Ireland and its legislature are being intimidated into submission by a small gang of extremists despite the evolving views of the wider electorate. This is unacceptable.
As I type and as you read there are people in Ireland who are in agony. They are dying slowly and despite the best efforts of doctors and medical staff their last few weeks and even months will be spent in unbearable pain. They and their families are being forced to endure this torment because the issue of assisted dying has not been addressed by Ireland’s politicians. Again, in this case it is difficult not to be very suspicious of the influence of the religious extremists. This is not a case of sanctioning murder, this is merely a matter of mercy.
When the body becomes a trap and life is no longer worth living then surely we should allow people to make the choice to stop enduring and be at peace. When considered in this fashion our current system seems nothing short of barbaric.
If these massive social issues are to be addressed then political bravery will be required. Detractors will shout loudly if they are discussed. Many people who are entrenched in opposition and are unwilling to consider rational discussion on the issues will crow that at a time of economic meltdown such issues should not be even on the table but this argument holds little water. There is no right or wrong time to discuss such issues and the economic turmoil of the moment must not cause the Dáil to cease to be a legislature.
A modern buzzword in politics is choice. We are told that it is essential and that access to it is approaching the status of a right. Despite this, in certain areas people are denied that very thing. There are certain choices available certainly.
You can travel to Britain in a clandestine fashion and have an abortion. You can choose to have secret counseling after the fact and you can choose to come clean if you wish. You can choose to move from a hospital ward to a hospice in the hope that it will relieve the agony you are suffering.
If you are able bodied you can choose to take your own life and put those you love through the trauma of finding your corpse or you can tell them beforehand, make them party to an act of criminality and facing a jail term.
These are choices, certainly, but not the kind we expect to be offered by our politicians. These issues will not go away and it is clear from the Irish Times survey that Ireland is ready to discuss them in an open and mature manner.