Comments on: Extending abortion rights to N. Ireland

By: Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:20:05 +0000

Whatever the view one takes on abortion the above is most illiberal and makes the case for the overthrow of democracy.
The true liberal allows differing views and does not impose fundamentalist views on either majorities or minorities.
Where two rights are in tension at the very least the resolution should not result in the death of one of those affected.
No mother has ever been put to death to save the life of an unborn baby. Millions of unborn babies have been put to death for the sake of proposed well being of many mothers.
New life is the hope for a nation. Too precious to destroy.

By: Sunny Hundal

Sunny Hundal — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:44:25 +0000

Well done for pushing this at the Green Party conference Natalie.

By: john b

john b — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:45:46 +0000

“Last year the Assembly voted overwhelmingly to maintain the status quo. Deplorable, but democratic”

Hmm. Some might argue that a body consisting entirely of hardline conservative religious types and hardline conservative different-religious types, held together by a combination of snout-in-troughery and liberal-hating, and voted for by a populace whose only real criterion is for the allies of said policiticians to stop shooting them and blowing them up, isn’t brilliantly equipped to make decisions on social policy.

But those kind of churls would probably also sneer at the wonderful democracies we’ve established in Iraq and Afghanistan…

By: Mike Killingworth

Mike Killingworth — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:19:50 +0000

Why has the women’s movement failed to make the case for abortion in Northern Ireland? Last year the Assembly voted overwhelmingly to maintain the status quo. Deplorable, but democratic.

Surely it would be more sensible to campaign for the provision of NHS abortions to women from Northern Ireland who come to Britain? That provides both access to abortion and respects the principle of devolution, which I would have thought that the Green Party would approve of.

I’m sure you’re right to suggest that many women in that position find a British address for the purpose – as I suspect women from the Republic do, too. No doubt, and rightly, British feminists assist in that process.

IIRC, the Green Party wants to pull Britain out of the EU. If we did leave, would you then want to impose trade sanctions on the Irish Republic until it came up with a sufficiently liberal abortion law?
What’s the position of the Irish Green party (which either is or recently has been in government in Dublin) on the question?

By: Abortion in Northern Ireland - Philobiblon

Abortion in Northern Ireland - Philobiblon — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:00:30 +0000

[...] rest of the UK to Northern Ireland. On Green Despatches there are full details of the motion; on Liberal Conspiracy I’ve set out the issues and a bit of the background. Stumble it! Digg reddit Del.icio.us [...]