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Ireland finally wakes up to the abortion issue!

I’m delighted with the results on Saturday. The most important thing for me, is that no longer can groups like the Iona institute and Youth Defence pretend to talk for the majority of Irish people.

Their support is fading thankfully, with a lot of their presumed “No” voters tangentially following their own consciences, once inside the annonymity of the ballot box.

The message was well and truly rammed home and could have not been expressed more definitely, that the make up and beliefs of Ireland have changed so dramatically.

It was another great example of the unshackling of the Irish mindset, from its prurient and hypocrisy drenched past.

No longer are we a little insular country on the outskirts of Europe, willing to export our “problems” elsewhere, so that we can maintain a facade of pretended piety.

I knew and heard, of many Irish people coming home from abroad, for the express purpose of voting “Yes” on Friday.

I think the “No” campaign imploded. They were essentially scaremongering and insulting the intelligence’ of the Irish people, exposed as such toward the end of campaigning.

During the feverish last three months, no-one spoke about the glaringly obvious elephant in the room. The same people that in many cases were advocating a “No” vote, were those who also urged people to vote no in the marriage equality referendum last year.

It was ultimately a clash of ideals, of how life is looked at and proscribed, with the very supranatural old absolutes, that are now officially on a very shaky footing.

There are ultimately no winners from the referendum, but when I heard on the news that one of the bishops had urged Catholics whp voted yes to consider going to confession, the rotting fangs of religious belief were exposed.

Thankfully the seismic vote on Friday, was about making this life more bearable and equitable. Hopefully as a country, we will continue with this focus,into other areas.

The argument shifted from a narrow theological discussion of what a life entailed, to a realisation of the hardships inflicted on so many actually living Irish women.

It is all too easy for some to deal in endless abstract discussions. I wonder if these strident “No” voters would help me out in the daily grind, someone in the throes of dementia, with an intellectual disability or mental health issue? I think not somehow!

Abortion was never an issue that was going to remotely touch me, or a lot of other people that voted “Yes”.

It was not about making abortion compulsory, but rather giving women full control over their own bodies, making existing life a little more bearable, for anyone with an unplanned pregnancy.

I’m especially hoping, that given the unanimous decision by the electorate, that there will be no untimely delay in enacting the required legislation.

Such legislation should be introduced as a matter of priority. The immediate benefit, should be that the whole process is speeded up. Psychiatric reports should now be a thing of the past. Women with unplanned pregnancies, do not have time on their side and this is often forgotten!

The world has kept turning. For me the best thing about it, was that Ireland has begun a more rational and compassionate conversation about what life and living really means. This was long overdue!

Update: Wednesday 30/05/2018) I was talking to someone yesterday, who said to me that ” You may have won in this world, but not in the next”. Charming! The main point of this referendum, was to make the conditions of this world, a little bit easier for some of its inhabitants.
Links used for this blog:

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2018/04/24/group-that-sold-babies-critical-of-peoples-decision-to-vote-yes/

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/abortion-referendum/elton-john-on-irelands-abortion-referendum-a-younger-generation-are-coming-up-they-are-a-different-kind-of-people-36957755.html

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