I think he’s doing his best in a very difficult political environment to encourage public support for the pro choice option in a vote, but ‘make it rare’ is a short term argument and ultimately not helpful to anyone politically.
I find the ‘make it rare’ argument really undermining and disrespectful of women’s agency. Nobody sets out to need an abortion or treats it trivially. It’s not a nice process and it’s not made easy to get even when it’s safe and it’s legal.
‘Making it rare’ (...’rare’ relative to what?) is mealy mouthed politician speak to appeal to ‘soft’ anti choice people. it implies a load of ‘excess’ abortions must be going on.
All it says to me is ‘I am a politician trying to appeal to everyone who doesn’t understand women’s lives’. There are just multiple complex reasons why an abortion becomes needed or wanted, that can’t be solved by policy and health service changes- though some of these will be susceptible to policy initiatives to an extent. Campaigning for Full contraception coverage, choice and education for all should be a given.
But there is not some kind of ideal acceptable number of abortions, that is bonkers. Abortion is not ‘too easy’ to access, and contraception education, availability and use is no where near 100 %. But these are not the only reasons abortion is needed anyhow.
Being pro choice is about supporting a woman’s right to choose when or if to become a mother, which is always an individual decision in the context of that time and her situation.
Politicians need to respect that and not use abortion as some kind of political dog whistle topic. I lost respect for Hillary campaigning on ‘safe legal and rare’ too. They must get splinters in their arses sitting on the fence like that.
Problem is that he is going to find that his vision of making it ‘rare’ comes back to bite him politically and allows anti-choice people to make hay. If abortion is provided in Ireland, the women who previously would have travelled to get an abortion will take it up. But another group of women who see that the service is now available and that social attitudes are changing etc will ALSO over time be more likely to consider having an abortion themselves. Their daughters will grow up in an environment where abortion is more acceptable and available.
So it’s likely for decades that abortion uptake could significantly grow. It will really not ‘become rare’ down from some made up ideal number. Unless he means they will make it ‘rare’ by rationing the procedure or make it hard to access which would be shit and not pro choice.
Better to say: let’s accept that abortions happen, legal or not, let’s stop women dying, getting hurt, taking illegal drugs, getting into debt, having to travel overseas etc to end a pregnancy and make it safe and legal as early as possible and as late as necessary.’ AND also loudly campaign for SRE, full and accessible contraceptive cover, research to improve contraceptive methods available and so on.
Sorry that was long.