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Clare vote vastly different to previous referendums

WHILE researching a preview of how Clare would vote last week, it became obvious that even the closest observers of local politics weren’t sure where the county’s votes would go. Friday night’s exit polls showed that the country had voted heavily in favour of yes. Then when tallies from rural parts of Clare all showed strong support for repealing the Eighth Amendment, it became apparent on Saturday morning that Clare had also voted yes, and by a sizeable majority. As it turned out, Clare was very close to the national average in more ways than one. This county’s percentage turnout was 64.37%, while the national turnout was 64.13%. Clare voted yes by 64.28% to 35.72%. Ireland did so by 66.4% to 33.6%, showing this county was an accurate barometer for the country overall. Taking a long-term perspective one can see that Clare has become far more liberal on social issues. In the 1986 and 1995 referendums, large majorities of Clare …

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Bishop’s invitation to choose life

THE question posed by the Eight Amendment to the Contitution has profound moral and religious implications for us all and specifically for the right to life of the unborn child, according to the Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan. “The choice we make will shape our society for generations to come,” he said in the introduction to his pastoral letter, published this week. Cherishing Life Christians believe that all life is sacred and is a gift from God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says ‘The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.’ To destroy the body is to deny the human soul its right to full development. Modern medicine and science has done so much to help us appreciate …

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Psychological distress after abortion

RESEARCHERS from University of Limerick (UL) have found that women who feel stigmatised after having an abortion, experience increased psychological distress and physical health symptoms.The research has been published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly. The article is entitled “Restricted reproductive rights and risky sexual behaviour: How political disenfranchisement relates to women’s sense of control, well-being and sexual health. Dr Aisling O’Donnell of UL’s Department of Psychology, who led the research, explains, “While in the past, it has been assumed that having an abortion leads to worse mental or physical health, there has been no research-based evidence that this is the case. However, there is evidence that women who have abortions are stigmatised, and also that numerous types of stigma are linked to worse mental and physical health. That was the starting point for our research.” Dr O’Donnell and her team, investigated whether the health issues that related to stigma also applied to the stigma surrounding abortion. The team focused …

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Bishop says abortion plan is ‘appalling’

GOVERNMENT plans to allow unrestricted access to abortion for up to 12 weeks have been condemned as “ truly appalling” by the Bishop of Killaloe, Fintan Monahan. Urging people to “choose life” in the abortion referendum next May, Bishop Monahan claimed in an exclusive interview with The Clare Champion that repealing the Eighth Amendment would introduce one of the most liberal abortion regimes in the world. “The proposal to have unrestricted access without question to abortion for up to 12 weeks is truly appalling and would make the regime in Ireland one of the most liberal in the world. “Many people have expressed astonishment and disgust at this proposal and are outraged by it. Much criticism has been directed against the proposals of the Citizens’ Assembly and the Oireachtas Committee and, especially, the unproportionate amount of pro-abortion advice given during the recent process,” he said. Cabinet ministers voted unanimously to hold a referendum asking voters if they wish to repeal …

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Harty favours access to abortion in certain circumstances

DEPUTY Michael Harty has confirmed that he favours allowing abortion in certain circumstances but not in the latter stages of pregnancy. In an interview with The Clare Champion, Dr Harty said as much as possible needs to be done around education and provision of contraception to ensure that women are not left in what he called an “unenviable position”. He said, “I am male and I will never have to consider having an abortion and I think that’s an important factor, when males are speaking about this issue. “We don’t know what the wording of the referendum is going to be so it’s difficult to comment on how one will vote, when one doesn’t know the wording of what legislation is proposed to define the circumstances under which termination of pregnancy is going to be allowed. We have to wait for that, before we can make a definitive decision on how to vote.” While Dr Harty favours allowing terminations in …

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