Three Irish women who travelled to the UK to have abortions have now gone to Strasbourg to argue that Ireland's strict abortion law violated their rights.

[TinselInYourBum]

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/12/091209_ireland_abortion_et_sl.shtml]

God and I still can't do links.

I strongly feel that abortion should be kept illegal in Ireland.

MN Jury?

I think that women should have free and easy access to abortion services no matter where they live...

but

I also think that in general a democratic country should be able to make it's own laws.

So, I'm torn on this.

LaDiDaDi - they can only go to the European Court in Strasbourg because Ireland chose to become a state party to the European Convention - and in doing so chose to give its citizens the right to appeal to the court in Strasbourg when they have exhausted all domestic remedies. it's not being imposed on them.

(agree with you, broadly speaking, re abortion though)

good for them I say.
the problem with making abortion illegal (aside from taking away the woman's right to make a choice) is that it creates an underworld of back-street abortionists which are horrendous and risk lives every single day.

However much I might agree that abortion should be legal I accept that this is an emotive and divisive issue and leave it up to the Irish people themselves to decide.

I wish them luck. I hope that one day women in Ireland will have the same access to abortion that we have in the UK.

Why do you feel it should be kept illegal in Ireland Tinsel?

Why should I and my friends and family be denied the rights that women in the UK have?

Do you want to us to remain a backwards god-fearing country?

I wish them luck too. When women are making hard decisions, they shouldn't have to travel to another country to exercise reproductive choice

I wish them luck too. A democratic country should allow women to have access to safe abortion.

Good luck to them.
Although I honestly can't see the law changing anytime soon as Ireland is a country that is still largely run by the church.

Why would you feel that abortion should remainb illegal out of interest?

I think it's a discussion that needs to be had. I remember the case, not so long ago, where a young girl was prevented from travelling to the UK for a termination. I am pro-choice, btw. As much as I dislike the idea of abortion, and can't imagine having one myself, I strongly believe that a woman should have the final say in what happens to her own body.

Yes, I think I remember that case chicken, irc she was a 13 year old who had been made pregnant as a result of a rape, and she was prevented from travelling to the Uk for an abortion.

Tbh I think if a staunchly catholic country as France can have abortion on demand, I do no see why Ireland would restrcut abortion on, presumably, religious hrounds.

There is a lot of double think about abortion in Ireland: the X case showed that up.

That is why, although I respect the views of pro-lifers and see that you cannot legitimise "murder", if that's what you think it is, I feel that there is a real debate to be had in Ireland and I hope it is done properly, not just "well, we would rather pretend we are all good Catholics and sure can't they just go over to the UK if the silly girls get themselves into trouble" attitude winning the day.

I know people who know the girl in the x case and it ruined lives.

The fact is that abortion is a class issue in Ireland: anyone who has been able to afford the flight to London has had one anyway.

I know that she was very young, GetOrf . I thought it was disgusting that the authorities spent weeks debating it as an abstract concept, while all the time the poor girl was getting further along with a baby she didn't want. To me, that's barbaric.

I think the difference with France is that, though individually people might be staunch catholics, the state itself is "officially" not connected with religion. So they can perhaps pass laws which disagree with the teaching of the RC church more easily than Ireland.

Ireland is a democratic country and I think they should be allowed to make their own decisions. It is OK for the Irish to have different opinons to the rest of Europe.

What makes other Europeans think they have the right to interfere with domestic affairs. Irish people who do not like Irish laws are allowed to travel to other parts of Europe. Its not as if Ireland is a third world dicatorship.

Prehaps we should save our energies for other parts of the world where a pregnant 13 year old girl would probably be stoned to death.

Why can Europeans interfere with Ireland's domestic issues?

See Hatwoman's post which explains why.

'Ireland chose to become a state party to the European Convention - and in doing so chose to give its citizens the right to appeal to the court in Strasbourg when they have exhausted all domestic remedies. it's not being imposed on them.'

And I believe this as much of a human rights and feminist issue, if in a different manner, to the stoning of a 13 year old girl.

Not everyone has the resources to travel abroad for an abortion. The wealthy can pay, the poor girls can't and aren't able to have an abortion or are forced to go to someone who isn't qualified to perform abortions. How is that fair?

Or, as in the case of that young girl, actually prevented from travelling!

Exactly chickens. How anyone can justify that I've no idea. I think in such cases it's only right that other parties are able to intervene.

As much as I support the right to abortion would I say it was "as much of a human rights and feminist issue" as the stoning of a teenager?

No I wouldn't.

However much I might disagree with them some people do have strong moral objections to abortion and it should be up to each nation to decide.

If you have strong moral objections about abortion then object away, don't have one, but don't try to dictate what other women can and can't do with their own bodies.

Forcing a woman to continue a pregnancy against her will is no better than slavery imho.

I hope they are successful, abortion should be legal everywhere

be very interesting to see what happens if they win because we'd need to have a referendum if it is decided that abortion should be legal over here. I'd wonder how things would be resolved if the referendum resulted in the irish people voting to keep abortion illegal.
some very interesting developments could be ahead in irish family law following yesterdays supreme court decision on the sperm donor as well.