Abortion ruling - A nettle we have to grasp

IT’S been 18 years since the Irish Supreme Court declared that abortion should be considered legal in all cases where the woman’s life might be put in jeopardy by a continued pregnancy — including threats to commit suicide. Since then the implication of that ruling has been ignored with a steely determination by all governments.

Abortion was the subject that dared not speak its name, remembering the bitterly divisive, visceral and hateful campaigns that surrounded earlier votes. Politicians of every persuasion, and it would be too unkind not to have a degree of sympathy for them on this land-mine issue, avoided it believing that reaching a workable compromise would be all but impossible.

The issue is so explosive, so very incandescent as to be almost unmanageable in terms of reaching a point that might be acceptable to a considerable proportion of our society. The situation was so fraught that doctors could not even discuss options with patients. Yesterday’s ruling will change that but not immediately.