Dignified Silence

Dignified silence on the broad issue of abortion is not something that I am known for, has led to accusations of sexism and the usual blah blah blah from the pro choice brigade. Folk who are often well meaning, but are wide of the mark on the implications for free for all abortion, which is the end goal for them, and all else is just a stepping stone towards.

The tragedy of Savita was capitalised on, even though taking out the child, leading to its certain death, (being miscarrying the child was going to die anyway) was in accordance with those who have reservations about abortion, be they ethics based like mine, or church based like what I call the “Jesus, Joseph and Mary” brigade, such as SPUC. Namely, when the child is not targeted to be killed by removal, but death is inevitable by removal to save the mothers life, it is not abortion as such. Some say its a case of tomato, tomato, and that may have a grain of truth in it.

This week though, something graver occurred.

This is my current understanding of the facts:

A woman (age unknown) wanted her pregnancy ended as she was suicidal. Was refused. Went on hunger and thirst strike, refused again, until a compromise that the baby was viable if delivered early would be removed by C-section, which happened.

Initially it looked like the law worked, that was brought in by Enda Kenny. I posted the same on Facebook. Some pro choice folk stated she was a rape victim. I was dubious, thinking it was a case of “they would say that, wouldn’t they”, but recent trickles of information seem to demonstrate that yes she was, and somehow is in fear of her life. She appears to not be able to leave the country due to the status of her residency, which suggests she may be a refugee of some sort, attacked by folk close to her, and found out six weeks after the attack of her pregnancy.

So, what is the answer?

What pro life folk like me do not want, is free for all abortion. What the pro choice folk want is free for all abortion.

In cases such as this common sense should rule. A Chinese saying states “Always use your greatest weakness as your greatest strength”. Ours as a nation is looking the other way when an apparent or actual wrong is taking place, especially if we feel a greater good is occurring as a result.  Such as folks attitude to known planning corruption, as it kept the boom going until it all fell apart. Then corruption was an issue for everybody.

So with this. It all comes down to where each individual person draws the line. This is where I draw it, while still calling myself pro life. She should have had the abortion on the QT. Genuine rape victims  – though the death is intentional of the child – having an abortion is the lesser of the two social evils: intentional killing of the unborn, and the mother having to carry a rape baby to term.

That may make me a hypocrite, keeping neither the pro life- or the pro choice happy, but it is where I hang my hat.

Sarah Clancy wrote on the issue, a verse that stated “Ireland hates women”. I would like to think that that is not so, and encourage her to look at the fact that most of the pro life folk, Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter, are women, and the majority of the active ones. Most chaps just don’t care. But I do take her case in point: in reference to Savita, she states “every time a woman makes love, she runs the risk of being left to die in a country that doesn’t care for her” or words to that effect. Apologies for misquoting, that’s the gist as I took it. And that is a sobering thought.

We all know Savita should have had the baby removed, it was the only and best chance she had of being alive. Pro choice, or pro life, even Youth Defense in a rare moment of clarity on the issue agreed with that. The staff, in claiming “Ireland is a Catholic country” failed the patient, and went far far beyond what the Catholic church require of medics, not that their opinion matters.

Some writers will make a career out of this, or try to. Sarah Clancy does not fit into this category, her verse speaks as a woman, not as a writer. For some folk, they make their bread and butter from writing: so they must write on the topic to keep themselves hip and relevant. I don’t, so have no need to. Writing for the love of it (even if some think Im the McGonagall of Offaly!) no matter how good or how bad I feel no compulsion to write on the topic to have my poetic effort in as part of the debate, so I will keep, at least until we know better and for sure, a dignified silence.

Susan Millar du Mars – an Alleged American Militant Abortionist

In a recent interview with an American pro life website, in making reference to her knight in shining armor, described him as being married to “the American, militant pro abortionist” or words to that effect. To which the good lady took umbridge, blogged on it whatever my difficulties with Mr Biggins, Id had none with her.

Which is true.

She takes offense at being labeled American, as if somehow that makes her less Irish, or less worthy of opinion (my take on what she wrote) and seemed to think being called a militant pro-abortionist was a bad thing.

It wasn’t what was intended. Honest! 😉

A lot of Americans – though Susan seems to be of Ulster Scots stock akin to her mans nemesis Mr Johnston, on her mothers side – are sensitive to how they appear to outsiders due to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, etc., and it appears Susan is too. That was not intended.

Being called “militant abortionist” was not meant to be an insult, its just that she is militant in her opinion (echos of “The Lady is not for turning!”) and hers is pro choice.

The mentioning of her in the post was to illustrate her as an established writers involvement in a professional as well as a personal level with out friend Mr Higgins, and the Over the Edge Initiative, which their nemesis Mr Johnstone claims to be a version of his “On the Edge” nights, which kicked off the whole Boobgate episode and the sorry contributions to poetry and satire that followed from both his camp and mine! There is also an industrial relations dispute (featuring questions in the Dáil itself, no less!!!) which as her knight in shining armor he wants to defend her honour on nobly, though the labour court would have been a better avenue, which he should know being a left wing activist.

So I guess thats as close to giving an apology as I get!

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