“A good day for tiny babies in the womb” was how Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly described the overwhelming defeat of the Social Democrats Bill that sought to do away with the 3-day reflection period for women seeking abortion.
The Reproductive Rights Amendment Bill was overwhelmingly defeated with 85 Oireachtas members voting against, 30 for and 36 abstentions.
Expressing her relief, Senator O’ Reilly said
“This Bill would have had hugely serious and far-reaching consequences, not least for the most vulnerable and defenceless lives that would be ended.
The extreme Bill put forward by the Social Democrats would not only have seen the abolition of the much needed 3-day reflection period but would have revised the criteria for abortion on the grounds of what is described as fatal foetal abnormality and removed any criminal sanctions against doctors.
It was a staggeringly wide-reaching Bill and open to abuse.
This was a frightening prospect and it’s hard to overstate the potential ramifications of this.
When people voted for Repeal in 2018 ,one of the assurances they were given was that the 3 day reflection period would provide a real ‘safety net’, a safeguard, and we know for a fact that it has with 10,426 women not attending their second appointment for an abortion over the five-year period from 2019 to 2024.
This is a fact.
However, the loud voices who are rushing to dismantle what the public actually voted for ignore this, and other inconvenient truths.
Putting forward their hard-line Bill, the Social Democrats regularly cited the recommendations of the Chair of the Three-Year Review of abortion law, Marie O’Shea, who recommended removing the 3 days wait without ever meeting or seeking to meet any of the women who didn’t attend that second appointment.
These are not abstract statistics. They represent real people – and real changes of mind. That is the tangible impact of giving time and space for reflection, and it is something we must speak about clearly and loudly.
We are constantly being told by ‘pro-choice’ campaigners that we must listen to the stories of women. However, these self-same advocates of ‘choice’ are cynically selective about the stories they feel are worth telling.
They don’t tell the story of the women hurt by Abortion.
They don’t tell the story of the women coerced into having abortions by abusive partners.
They don’t tell the story of little Baby Christopher whose life was ended when his parents were wrongly told he had Trisomy 18.
They don’t tell the stories of the tiny babies born alive after botched abortions in this country.
They don’t tell the story of the multi billon abortion industry.
They don’t tell the story of Ruth O’Sullivan, a nurse from West Cork, who has spoken openly about her experience of abortion regret who is on record as saying:
“People who campaign for abortion often describe it as a ‘compassionate’ response to an unplanned or challenging pregnancy. I did at the time. I convinced myself it was. But that’s not all the story, because six years on, I assure you there’s nothing compassionate or dignified about it. And I will regret it till the day I die. There is a huge, huge shortfall of support—emotional support, practical support, physical support—you name it, anything at all around mothers, families who find themselves in the situation we were in.”
Senator O’ Reilly continued
“I repeat my calls on Holly Cairns to listen to the voices of ALL women, especially the 1 in 6 who didn’t come back for their second Abortion consultation? Or will she continue to callously ignore them because their stories don’t fit the current prevailing narrative?”
