Ireland, and its inability to trust women.

When the Deputy Chairperson of prolifecampaign.ie contacts you and suggests you write a blog post for International Women's day 2015, you can probably already harbour a guess as to what exactly I'm going to discuss. 

Ireland and Abortion in 2015.

This is a topic that I am forever vocal about. Something that I feel is so important, that I will literally use any opportunity, online or in real life, to bring up the topic and discuss it with others. 

I am Pro-Choice, nothing will change that, and I thankfully have surrounded myself with a few pro-choice friends who also feel as passionate about the subject as I do. 

Today is International Women's Day, and on this day, I have chosen to speak about this very important topic.

There are a few things I would like to set straight before I get into this topic. I will not be mentioning or discussing Youth Defence, at all, whatsoever. People know what they do, they know their methods, they have seen the posters. There are extremist groups in every circle. And I believe it would be unfair to mention them, for the sake of the Pro-life argument. (Jaysus, never thought I'd ever say something like that!)

I will be referring to the Anti- abortion side as they so wish to be referred to, as 'Pro-life'. Even though, in my opinion, that could not be further from the truth, but again, that would not be fair to them.

Recently, the very brave and always commendable Clare Daly brought a bill forward to the Dáil. Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) Bill. The bill was to provide and allow abortions in the case of a fatal foetal abnormality, in which case the child would not survive birth, or would die shortly afterwards. Two doctors would have to confirm the child was suffering of a fatal abnormality before an abortion was allowed. This bill was voted down, 104 votes to 20.

Currently, in this country, the Dáil is made up of 25 female TD's. It is a fact that women are a minority when it comes to seats in the Dáil. Bit confusing to have an issue that affects women, being put to a vote by a male dominated room, right? Would it not make more sense to have a fair representation of the genders in such an important place? Of course it would. Yet, here we are.

I am in complete agreement of abortion in any case, if a woman wants to take that step, but this decision shook me to my very core. I have no shame in admitting I was watching the vote live online, and when they showed the bill had been voted down, I burst into tears. 

I cried for all the women who are forced to carry dying children inside them, the women who will be forced to give birth to babies without skulls, babies who's organs are outside their bodies, the suffering the child has to go through as it's born into this world just to be ripped away from it. I sat and I cried and I cried. 

I have no words to describe the horror and pain that women and couples must go through in this situation. 

'About 1,500 cases of fatal foetal abnormalities are diagnosed in Ireland each year and about 80 per cent of women travel to the UK for terminations (often in the form of early, induced labour).'

                                                                             ...

But hey, it's not ALL bad news. In 2013, a bill was passed that allowed abortion if the woman's life was considered at risk due to physical illness or suicide. All she has to do is PROVE it. Literally, PROVE she is depressed and at risk of taking her own life. Words alone don't count here, you really have to prove it to the health care professionals that you're set on taking your own life. One would wonder what that entails?

Do I have to have a failed suicide attempt behind me? Do I have to be inflicting self harm before someone stops and says 'fine, okay, we'll help you'. Still nothing to be done for women who are victims of rape or incest though.

Fab lil' country we live in, right? 

After doing some research, this is the clearest information I could find regarding how a suicidal woman can go about requesting an abortion:

'If a woman requests a termination because she is suicidal, this process will begin. Three medical practitioners – one obstetrician and two psychiatrists – have to jointly certify “in good faith” that there is a real and substantial risk of loss of life by way of suicide and that in their reasonable opinions, that risk can only be averted by carrying out a termination. The three-doctor panel have also been encouraged to consult with the patient’s GP, once consent is obtained from the woman. If a termination is not granted because the conditions above are not fulfilled, then an appeals process can be accessed. The review panel will consist of three more doctors.'

Imagine how long this takes, they have a woman in front of them that may or may not take her life at any time, and they are doing reviews and referring to other doctors and GP's. It's disgraceful. 

As I've stated previously, I am in favour of abortion in all cases, I believe it is a woman's choice to decide exactly what she can and cannot do with her body, and for anyone else to try and tell her otherwise, should focus on their own problems, and stop trying to control other people's lives.

Why, in Ireland, do we allow others to make the decision for women, why can we not trust women enough to make their own decisions on the matter? 
To make their own decisions for what is right for them, their families and their life. 

The pro-choice campaign literally only wants women to have the right to do what they believe is best by themselves, on their own terms. The pro-life campaign wants to force women into doing what THEY believe is right, it's twisted and very disturbing when you think of it that way. 

Ireland has repeatedly turned it's back on women, has refused to help them, and has either locked them away to keep them quiet, or has forced them to travel to other countries to seek help. It actually sounds like I'm reading you a passage from a horror book as I type this, but I'm referring to the Magdalene Laundries, victims of Symphysiotomy and the lack of abortion services. We either force women into situations they do not want to be put in, or push them off to be dealt with somewhere else.

Why is it that as long as I am carrying a child in my womb, everyone else is allowed to have an opinion on what I can and cannot do with it, but the second I push it out of my vagina, suddenly it's entirely my own responsibility? Should that responsibility not begin the second I conceive a child? Why do other people get to decide for me and what I have to do with the foetus growing inside me, but the second it's been pushed out of me and the doctor has snipped the cord, suddenly I'm free to make whatever choices I want regarding this child? It's a bit mind boggling, don't try and think about that one for too long, I did, and my brain nearly caved in.

On this day, International Women's Day 2015, I wish I was writing a blog post about how great it is to be a women in modern day Ireland, about all the opportunities that lay at my fingertips. But, I feel while choices I should be making about my own body, lay in the hands of others, I cannot even begin to write about living in this country and feeling like I'm an actual valued citizen, because I feel like nothing more than a vessel.