Readers' Blog: Eighth delivered a cruel punishment
The 1983 amendment to the Constitution sought to ensure that abortion was not an option for pregnant women in Ireland. It expressly accords rights to the life of the unborn child, by requiring the State to vindicate that right to life, as far as practicable, with due regard to the equal life of the mother. This somewhat complicated formula of rights, seemingly both equal and conditional, has been interpreted by the courts in a manner which more absolutely equalises the right of both lives.
The direct harmful consequences of these laws have been evident in an avalanche of personal testimonies in the lead up to the forthcoming referendum. Appropriate medical intervention is simply not available to women, despite circumstances where the continuation of a pregnancy will have tragic or dangerous effects. Equally pregnant women who have been the victims of rape or incest or who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy are prevented by law from receiving their preferred intervention from the Irish healthcare system.
The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution has delivered a cruel and unyielding punishment for pregnant women who seek compassionate medical intervention. Notwithstanding the current legal framework preventing abortion, 12 Irish women a day terminate a pregnancy, and through our laws we shamefully condone their expulsion to other countries.
The referendum on May 25 provides Irish society with an opportunity to right the wrongs of our past.
Following a successful yes vote on May 25 the Government has committed to introduce a legal framework, which will create parameters and regulatory conditions relating to the termination of pregnancies. UCC Staff Together for Yes is hosting a public information evening at 7pm in Brookfield, UCC, tomorrow (Thursday, May 3) to provide an opportunity to hear from a panel of experts as to the impact of the Eighth Amendment and the proposals for change. Speakers include Professor Louise Kenny, Dr Louise Crowley, Senator Colette Kelleher, Annie Roche of TFMR, and Alison O’Connor.
