Ministers claim that the Bill is a reasonable attempt to modernise abortion law in Ireland. But what reasonable person would want a law to make a suicidal young woman - pregnant from rape (as in the 'x' and 'c' cases) - face further risk to her life or mental health by being forced to go full term? What reasonable person would want to compel a woman to go full term if her physical health would be destroyed by doing so? The Bill would do just that for women who can't get to Britain for an abortion.
19 Irish abortions happen every day - 7,000 this year - in Britain. The Bill will guarantee that Irish abortions can continue abroad. The Government's honest hypocrite - Noel Ahern - admits he would take his daughter to Britain if she had a crisis pregnancy. But if you can't raise £700 or get away secretly, too bad. It's one law for the rich and another for the poor. Under Bertie's law a woman desperate enough to induce an abortion herself - and anybody who helps her - risks 12 years in jail.
The Government's referendum proposals will put the health and the lives of Irish women at risk. What if your friend, your sister, your mother or your partner had a crisis pregnancy? Even if you wouldn't choose abortion yourself, would you want that choice denied to others? If this Bill gets a majority, we will have the most repressive abortion laws in Europe and restrict the rights of desperate and vulnerable women.
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