Blind leading the sighted
I have been steadfastly ignoring the abortion business here in Ireland.
For those who aren’t aware, there is a move to remove a clause in our constitution that gives “equal right to life to the unborn”. In other words, in a case where there are complications during birth, by law the medical profession has to step back and possibly let mother and baby die because neither has a right over the other.
We have had several referendums on the subject over the years. It has always turned nasty, generally on the part of the anti-abortion mob. And they are a mob; a mob of quasi-religious fanatics who scream about murdering babies and talk about life being sooo precious.
Yesterday they hit a new low. The bishops have come out claiming that allowing abortion will inevitably lead to euthanasia and eugenics. Talk about a gateway theory!
I have stated in the past that my opinions on abortions are irrelevant. I am unlikely to become pregnant so I should have no say in the matter. What women do with their lives is none of my business and I have no right to order them one way or another. Yet these moralistic holier-than-thou fuckwits who have taken a vow of chastity consider they have a right to preach on the subject?
Regarding euthanasia, I do indeed have an opinion. If it were a choice between an agonising and inevitable death then I would not only be happy to be put out of my misery but I would consider it inhumane and morally wrong to be expected to suffer. I have put dogs to sleep in the past. It is amongst the most difficult tasks I have ever undertaken because I loved those dogs. It was because of that love that I took the final drastic step. Those dogs were in pain with no hope of recovery and it would have been an act of utter cruelty to insist that they suffer for no other reason than selfishness or some pseudo morality.
It is worth noting that in Europe only two countries don’t allow abortions – Ireland and Malta. Yet Europe isn’t exactly awash with genetically perfect kids, and the only people who want their life to be ended are those with a damn good reason.
I assume these bishops somehow think their god will somehow look kindly on Ireland for not allowing abortion.
I take it that those thousands of women who are forced into making the journey to a more liberal country just don’t count?
Referenda for Constitutional Issues are always a bad idea and always bring out the nut jobs on both sides. How many Irish actually still pay their bishops’ pronouncements any heed? Sure, I expect thousands of them will turn out to wave at the Pope and buy their Thai Wheatgrass Lemon and Lime Scented Lourdes water but actually ‘heed’ or even ‘obey’ their pastoral shepherds ? Very few I expect.
Which is a shame as the Bishops aren’t totally wrong about the ‘gateway’. Not that allowing while-U-wait abortions will lead inexorably to Soylent Shamrock-Green and The Sonnenkinder…. but it helps create a ‘nazi’ society.
Putting the “right to life” stuff in the constitution was sheer madness. It just led to confusion, and in a few cases, death of both mother and child. How can a surgeon work with a scalpel in one hand and a law book in the other?
You’re right about the bishops. As a friend of mine once described them – a load of old wankers pissing in their britches and telling us how to live our lives. Fortunately their influence here is drastically diminished after the series of scandals involving slave labour in workhouses [see ‘Magdalene laundries‘], clergy fathering children and of course the litany of child sexual abuse.
As for euthanasia – bring it on!
I’m strongly in favour of euthanasia – as long as we put the right people down.
Or abortion up to 100 years?
How can a surgeon work with a scalpel in one hand and a law book in the other?
Unfortunately allowing abortions on demand has not bettered the surgeon’s position,indeed it might be argued it has made it worse. I can think of at least 3 famous cases off the top of my head. Along with a scalpel in one hand and the law book in the other he must also now keep one eye on his twitter feed and the other on his Insurance policy. But that isn’t just limited to abortions, anywhere where the law and a doctor’s duty to his patient interact then there will be …problems.
Does anyone ,besides the devout, think that euthanasia is morally wrong? Its unfortunate that it gets lumped together with abortion. Like with Capital Punishment, I have no problems with euthanasia in theory and have even offered my ‘help’ on a couple of occasions (same way we’ve offered to take in a baby,no questions asked, several times) , but I can’t see a way to make it work in practice-ie that the wrong people don’t get killed.
As to the ‘Right To Life’ being in or out of your constitution then your whimsical darlings in the Oireachtas (I’m betting that ain’t said: “Oi-reach-tass”) should see to it that they get a ‘constitutional majority’ (whatever number of votes that is where you are). That’s the way a parliamentary democracy works, not asking what Nobby McNobs thinks.
Bashing the Bishop in the Bath always seemed to make sense to me. Getting a Bishop into the bath is the awkward bit especially if he is the Bishop of Bath & Wells.
Bashing the Bishop in the Bath
Except seminal fluid turns to Copydex (Rubber Cement for the foreigners among us) in the bath water.
Er…. how do you know?
I know because I almost lost a girlfriend…who suddenly realised she’d been walking around all day with small balls of copydex in her hair (head)…visibly in her hair.
Older wiser me now thinks i shouldn’t have laughed…
They will want ‘you’ to pay for ‘their’ abortions thru your taxes and that makes it your concern.
I am reasonably certain that many ‘pro life’ folks would fell more comfortable having their tax money go to pay for having these women having their tubes tied so that they never have to worry about being responsible for the sexual activities.
They will want ‘you’ to pay for ‘their’ abortions thru your taxes and that makes it your concern.
Good point, and one often ignored.
The referendum is not about abortion – Ireland already has abortion by virtue of the constitutional right to travel elsewhere for a termination – the referendum is about whether particular religious groups should have the right to have their views incorporated in the constitution.
Ireland and Malta are not the only two countries in Europe which don’t currently allow abortions. The United Kingdom’s 1967 Abortion Act does not apply in that integral part of the United Kingdom known as Northern Ireland.
But then Northern Ireland also has a different age of consent from the rest of the UK, it also has different MOT regulations, spookily more in common with those in the south – it’s almost as if someone was already preparing to hand over Ulster to Dublin . . . . .
Just don’t tell the Ulster Unionists, they’ve not worked it out yet.