The Government must think we were all born yesterday

IT is the beginning of abortion and the end of austerity — quite a week for the Government, except that neither statement is true.

Given the rancour of the Fine Gael opposition to implementing the X Case ruling, one would think we were on the cusp of a great liberalisation of Irish law that would give women the right to choose what happens to their own bodies.

In reality, once the judgement is passed into law, a woman or girl raped by her father (sadly, not an abstract example in this country), will not be able to seek a termination if the attack results in pregnancy.

Neither will a woman who knows that the foetus is not viable, and that it will not go to full-term, be able to seek a termination.

Instead, they will have to join the 4,000 other Irish women with crisis pregnancies who must travel to England, or Holland, to access the help they are denied at home, each and every year.

Who cares if the journey compounds the misery and trauma of the situation for them? Out of sight, out of mind — as long as smug little Ireland can go on pretending it isn’t happening.

It is now getting on for a quarter of a century since the Supreme Court’s X-Case ruling — an entire political generation of denial and avoidance — so it is ludicrous for some Fine Gael TDs to claim they have no mandate to vote on this narrow, highly restrictive, and endlessly debated issue.

Even with the shadow of Savita Halappanavar hanging over the matter, and the knowledge that her life would probably have been saved if she had undergone a termination when she asked for it, some TDs will not alter position.

The X Case ruling is not a choice issue, it is a women’s health issue, but TDs opposed to this limited reform are using the matter of suicidal intent as grounds for a termination as a block manoeuvre.

Health Minister James Reilly flatly denied reports that six medical experts would assess women seeking a termination in such circumstances, or that this notion was ever in draft legislation.

It then turned out that drafts did involve six doctors approving a termination, so either Reilly was misleading people, or he is just not in control of events.

At one point, up to 12 medical experts were to be involved in the process.

The message being sent out is that Irish women are liars and cannot be trusted to tell the truth about suicidal intent.

The process smacks of an inquisition, or perhaps a more accurate comparison would be the Salem witch trials.

Half a dozen experts?

A dozen?

Where does it end — until a barrier is built so tightly that women with a crisis pregnancy just shut up asking for humane treatment in their own republic, keep quiet, and go abroad so we can all carry on with the pretence abortion does not happen to us?

Maybe 12 doctors isn’t off-putting enough, maybe we should have a referendum on every crisis pregnancy?

Once the X-Case legislation is finally passed, a referendum on extending women’s right to choose should be held, as public opinion is far more accepting of the realities of the situation than our timid lawmakers.

Because, due to the usual double-think, while Enda Kenny and Co like to believe abortion does not happen, they also insist austerity is easing.

Ever so pleased with himself, Mr Kenny called a press conference to inform us that: “96% of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs has now been achieved, including the announcement of plans for 20,000 new manufacturing jobs.”

Wow.

They have achieved an announcement — how wonderful.

And only 4% of the action plan left to go until we are back in boom time.

Super, lets hear more.

“The latest quarterly update on the action plan shows 144 out of 150 measures have been implemented.

“Six measures were not delivered in the period, including the planned publication of legislation on planning for foreshores, the launching of a new logo for the Local Enterprise Office, and holding a meeting on information security,” they said at the press conference.

Ahhh, shame about the logo, lads, but thanks for all the jobs, and all that action.

Phew, what with even the IMF describing Irish levels of unemployment as “staggering” and estimating the real figure to stand at 23% when under-employment and training places are included, we were getting a bit worried there, but thank God for the 96% completed action plan.

Except, of course, the only job the Government is trying to create is a con job.

Look at that fabled announcement of 20,000 manufacturing jobs. It sounded great, as ministers waffled on about the need for re-skilling and the importance of the sector to export-led growth.

The only problem is that there is no new money for the move, and, worse than that, they cannot even say how much of the old money is to be cobbled together, and slashed from other projects, to fund it.

Considering that 10,200 jobs have been gained in the past year, as opposed to 9,000 that have been lost, that means the economy has added 1,200 extra workers.

So good luck whipping-up 20,000 in manufacturing over the next three years — especially as Minister for Mass Unemployment, Richard Bruton’s department do not have a clue about how much their “action plan” is going to cost.

With around 1,000 new jobs being created each year, it looks as if the Government might overrun its target of 100,000 new wage-earners by 2016 — because, at that rate, it will not take three years to achieve this rather modest goal, but 83 years.

So, austerity will end, but not until 2096 — by which time Irish women might have some control and choice over what happens to their own bodies.

Maybe.