Trust women, repeal the 8th

Dear Editor,

Tánaiste, Simon Coveney, has said that he is not comfortable with the 12-week limit proposed as part of legislation to regulate abortion provision following a future Repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

He cites concerns that the “unborn” needs to be protected. Protected from whom, exactly? From the girl or woman in whose uterus it is implanted?

Surely, if Mr. Coveney cannot trust a person to make the right choice for herself and her family at the beginning of a pregnancy, he is not suggesting that she be granted custody of a child at the end, having been forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term?

Or is the Tánaiste, along with the other TDs sitting on the fence, content to let England continue to take care of Irish women, while we pretend there is no abortion in Ireland?

It really is time that this country began to trust women to make their own reproductive choices, and to provide them with all the care and support they need, whatever choice they make.

Trust women. Repeal the Eighth Amendment. Dear Taoiseach,

I feel compelled to write to you, as a woman and a mother. I am truly shocked by your speech yesterday evening. I am sure I am not alone.

Have you forgotten 2015 already? You were one of the voices campaigning for ‘Equality’ in the 2015 Same Sex Marriage referendum campaign.

During the last referendum we all saw the posters, badges, adverts etc., urging us to vote ‘Yes, for equality’ - they told us to vote ‘Yes for equality’, then the country would be finally seen as ‘ loving, equal, fair, generous, inclusive’ - we were told to vote ‘yes’ because we had to decide ‘what kind of future we want Ireland to be’ - we heard that ‘Love is Love!’.

Now, you tell the Nation that you will be campaigning for ‘equality’ for the unborn child to be removed from our constitution - this is ludicrous. I feel like I am in the ‘ twilight zone’ - I am half expecting to be returned to the real Ireland at any second.

You say this issue is not ‘ black and white’ - I am bewildered how you, as a medical doctor, could say such a thing - surely you know that it really is black and white - there is a child developing in the womb of it’s mother - there is a heartbeat, he is unique, he is human, he is equal to his mother.

As, for me, I shall be cam- paigning for the little boy or girl who cannot yet speak for themselves - it seems they cannot rely on their Taoiseach.

I firmly believe that this upcoming referendum will once again see equality win the day, because the unborn child has truth, science and love on his side, but more than this, we all know that Ireland truly is loving, equal, fair, generous and inclusive!