No one among circle of friends willing to admit they had abortion

No woman has ever told me she had an abortion. I find that quite amazing.

I’m female. I’m Irish. I’m the mother of two young children. I’m broad minded, liberal, empathetic. Or, at least I think that I am. Perhaps that’s not how others see me. Maybe I come across as moralistic, judgemental and unsympathetic.

I’m 44. I’ve been in that child bearing “space” for a couple of decades now. If you consider that roughly one in ten women in Ireland has had an abortion — that’s an estimated 160,000 women since 1980 — I’ve clearly come across at least some of these women.