Eilis Mulroy
Before the next Dáil vote on the three-day wait, TDs must hear from the women whose experiences have been pushed to the margins,
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There comes a point when politicians can no longer pretend not to see what is happening in front of them.
Ireland has now recorded more than 65,000 abortions since the introduction of the new abortion regime. 1 in every 6 babies now loses his or her life to abortion.
Yet faced with these figures, what are senior members of Government proposing? Measures to reduce the abortion rate? No. A comprehensive state-backed service ensuring women considering abortion receive information about alternatives and practical supports? No.
Instead, senior political figures are supporting the removal of the three-day reflection period. How is that tenable?
Thousands
Thousands of women attended an initial abortion consultation but did not proceed with an abortion following the three-day wait. Whatever one’s position on abortion, that fact alone demands to be taken seriously.
The chair of the abortion review acknowledged before the Oireachtas Health Committee that she had not consulted these women”
Why did those women change their minds? How many are grateful today for the time they were given? How many children are alive because their mothers had those three days?
Astonishingly, the chair of the abortion review acknowledged before the Oireachtas Health Committee that she had not consulted these women.
Think about that. A recommendation was made to abolish the three-day wait without hearing from the very women whose experiences could provide the strongest evidence for retaining it.
And now senior Cabinet members, Sinn Féin and others repeatedly invoke that recommendation as justification for changing the law. They tell us three days to reflect before an abortion is an unnecessary barrier.
Tolerates
The same political establishment tolerates a system that does not ensure, as a matter of course, that every woman considering abortion receives comprehensive information about alternatives and where she can obtain practical support if she continues her pregnancy.
Women contact us describing heartbreak and regret following abortions. Some say they felt rushed or pressured”
Ireland has effectively created a rapid access pathway to abortion without creating an equivalent pathway towards alternatives. Where is the balance in that? Where is the choice?
And where is the democracy in allowing taxpayer-funded organisations representing overwhelmingly one side of this issue to dominate the policy landscape while women whose experiences challenge that consensus struggle to be heard? In the strongest terms, we have to reject the idea that this is acceptable.
Women contact us describing heartbreak and regret following abortions. Some say they felt rushed or pressured. Others believe they were carried along by a system that did not give them a meaningful opportunity to explore another path.
These women exist. So do women who contemplated abortion, waited, reconsidered and as they see their children grow, are profoundly grateful today that they did not proceed. Yet where are their experiences in Government deliberations? Where are they among the supposedly essential “stakeholders”?
This debate cannot be permitted to become a carefully curated conversation in which only experiences supporting further liberalisation are considered legitimate. That is not democracy. It is political gatekeeping.
The 86 TDs who voted at Second Stage to abolish the three-day wait need to understand that these women will not be written out of the debate simply because their experiences are politically inconvenient.
Floodgates
We all recall senior Government figures promising in 2018 that the floodgates would not open if people voted for repeal. More than 65,000 abortions later, where is the evidence of their commitment to that goal? Where are the initiatives? Where is the investment in alternatives?
Instead, incredibly, the very same politicians are working to remove one of the last remaining safeguards that saves lives.
The numbers, however, show there is every reason to keep fighting. While 86 TDs voted to abolish the three-day wait, 70 stood firm and voted to protect it. We are not facing an insurmountable majority. Far from it. Just 9 TDs switching sides would turn the result around.
This vote can be won, and we will approach the Final Stage absolutely determined to win it. But to do that, another group must enter this debate: the women whose stories have been pushed to the margins.
If you considered abortion but changed your mind during the three-day waiting period, we urgently want to hear from you. If you had an abortion and believe you were not properly informed about alternatives or supports that could have enabled you to continue your pregnancy, please contact us.
If you felt rushed, pressured or coerced towards abortion, your experience matters. And if you know somebody whose experience reflects these circumstances, please consider sharing this appeal with her.
Personal testimony has the power to break through political abstractions and force legislators to confront realities they have been allowed to ignore”
Some women may feel able to tell their stories publicly. Others will understandably want complete privacy but may permit their experiences to be communicated confidentially to members of the Oireachtas. Both can make an enormous difference.
Before the next Dáil vote, TDs need to hear the stories that the process to date has purposely hidden from view.
Personal testimony has the power to break through political abstractions and force legislators to confront realities they have been allowed to ignore.
Senior members of Government cannot demand the removal of the three-day wait while refusing to examine the lives it may have saved. They cannot speak endlessly about choice while tolerating a system that fails to provide women with comprehensive information about alternatives. And they cannot claim to support inclusive policymaking while inconvenient experiences are excluded from the room.
This has gone far enough.
If you have a story that needs to be heard, contact the Pro Life Campaign by direct message on social media, telephone 01 662 9275, or email info@prolifecampaign.ie.
We understand how difficult taking that first step may be. Your story will be treated in the strictest confidence and your privacy respected and protected.
The politicians have heard one side for long enough. Now they need to hear yours.