Tragedy reopens crucial debate

“THE Bill is unlikely to receive Government support when it is fully debated in the Dáil.” That line featured in an Irish Times report dated February 22, 2012 on the subject of a private members’ bill introduced by the Socialist deputy Clare Daley. The intention of the deputy’s bill was to ensure limited access to abortion was available to women whose lives were in danger. It was moved 20 years after the infamous X Case. Labour women supported “the Medical Treatment (Termination of Pregnancy in Case of Risk to Life of Pregnant Woman) Bill 2012” and the chairwoman of Labour Women Katherine Dunne said “no Irish woman should ever be left in a position where she is worried she will die but she has no clear legal route to get the medical help she needs”.
We are 10 months on from the tabling of that bill and Ireland is in the international headlines because a woman has died in the aftermath of repeatedly asking for an abortion to be performed. The foetus in this case was going to die anyway but doctors repeatedly refused to carry out the termination because a foetal heartbeat was present and told the woman, who was in agony for a number of days according to her husband, that Ireland is “a Catholic country”.
A number of issues need clarification around the death of Savita Halappanavar and hopefully the inquiry, which has been established, will reveal exactly what happened. In the meantime, it is very important that the tragedy and high passions it has unleashed not become muddied by speculation and spite.
There can be, in my opinion, three main findings from the report; that the death could have been prevented if a termination had been carried out, that the death would not have been prevented or that it is unknowable if the medical abortion could have saved Savita’s life. None of these outcomes matters though when we look at the real issue here, the failure of successive Irish governments to legislate on this issue.
As stated in the first paragraph, 20 years have passed since the X Case rocked the nation and yet in that time, no steps were taken to address the issues at the heart of it. I would argue this dereliction of duty should have actual legal consequences for those who failed to address the issue. Whether the responsibility to legislate was shirked because of political cowardice or ideological reasons matters not at the end of the day, the fact is there has been what amounts to a flat-out refusal to face this issue head on. When the official inquiry produces its report, we will see whether there have been fatal consequences as a result but whether or not this turns out to be the case, the failure remains as an indictment of those politicians who had the power to legislate and did not do so.
The political debate around abortion in Ireland, when it has happened, has been polarising and skewed. To this day on street corners in many Irish towns and cities, extremists can be seen wielding placards bearing gruesome images of shredded foetuses in the name of God. Free speech means they are free to do this but the effect must not be underestimated. Behaviour of this kind has the effect of muddying the waters when the genuine issue of a medical termination is then to be debated. Indeed, the anti-abortion lobby has already been crying conspiracy in relation to the death of Savita and implying the tragedy is being exploited by “campaigners for legalised abortion in Ireland”.
The fact that it has taken a tragedy of this nature to even reopen the debate around the issue of abortion or, more properly, women’s health is an indictment of the Irish political establishment. This issue should have been addressed long ago but no administration, it would seem, has the guts to do what needs to be done, rather than what they feel will not impinge on their core vote in some way. The issue of medical termination is not, as some might claim, the first step on a slippery slope. It is an area which needs to be addressed and has needed to be addressed for a very long time now. Whatever the outcome of the inquiry into the death of Sativa, political action must be taken by the current Government to address the issues the tragedy has raised.
The histrionics, which will be deployed to muddy the discussion must be pushed to one side and the cold facts of the necessary legislation must be considered carefully and implemented without delay. For too long, there has been unwillingness in Irish politics to address real issues in a mature fashion. The guiding values have been to keep away from controversy and difficult issues and steer the path of least resistance. While this leads to an easier life for politicians, it makes for a badly served nation and population. Although they may not always appreciate it, politicians genuinely hold the lives of the people in their hands. While they may devote significant levels of their energy to playing the everyday game of politics, their energy would be better spent in making the best legislation, which will ease the lives and save the lives of those people living in the country.
As the nation changes, politics must change with it. In these dire times, the old political practices will no longer be accepted by the people. Real issues must be tackled in an honest and direct way, for a change.