Explaining what the ‘Eight’ means to me

Dear Sir,

WITH the upcoming anniversary of the Eighth Amendment, I feel a strong desire to examine and explain what it means to me as a citizen of our country.

It means that I have a right to know if this is a positive or a negative attribute to Ireland. A lot of people seem to think that the Eighth Amendment is damaging to our country. However, after opening my mind to both sides of the debate, I have come to a conclusion which follows several questions to our Government. The first and most logical question is, how can we say that the Eighth Amendment should be removed when we have so many reasons to protect it?

An independent actuarial report prepared in 2016 estimated that the Eighth Amendment has saved at 100,000 lives. These are people who were given a chance at life because the Eighth has created a culture in Ireland where abortion isn’t seen as a solution to an unplanned pregnancy. Thanks to the Eighth, we live in a country where women who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant have the space to reflect and plan for looking after their baby. As a result, our abortion rate is much lower than in other countries and many women who once considered abortion cannot now imagine their lives without their children.

I just don’t see why abortion is the answer to a crisis pregnancy. Why can’t we work together as a society to help mothers and babies? Why can’t we work on eliminating crisis issues instead – issues like childcare, accommodation, maternity leave – these are all things that make parenthood easier and we should be working to improve them.

I understand that no country is perfect, but we every reason to admire Ireland’s pro-life laws. It shocked me to discover that in the UK, 90% of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in the womb are aborted. Denmark has apparently set itself a goal to create a “Down Syndrome free” society by 2030. In Iceland shockingly, they have already reached that target.

I find this very upsetting when I look at how Ireland has supported the work of the Special Olympics and I have felt so proud that we have created a culture of inclusion and equality. Why can’t we extend and improve supports to families and continue to improve the quality of life for people with Down Syndrome? Surely this is a more considerate approach than going down the same road as other countries where babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome and other disabilities are routinely aborted.

I don’t understand why the Taoiseach felt the need to inform Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his plans regarding abortion during their official meeting recently. Prime Minister Trudeau seemed very anxious to challenge Ireland’s Pro-Life laws but seemed to stay very quiet on Canada’s truly barbaric abortion law. Canada provides no legal protection for the baby in the womb throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy. I don’t believe Ireland should have to listen to other countries pressuring us, particularly when the right to life is the first and most fundamental right.

The Eighth Amendment in not just a provision in the Constitution. It is a life-saving provision that has provided legal protection for mother and babies. Everyone would be affected if the Eighth Amendment were to be repealed and to think that we might be influenced by other countries such as Canada where 1 in 5 pregnancies are aborted is truly horrifying.

I was disappointed in the chaos and confusion that I witnessed taking place at the Citizens’ Assembly earlier this year where there was no talk about all the people who are alive thanks to the Eighth Amendment. It’s not looking very likely that the Oireachtas Committee, which begins later this month, will be much fairer. But no matter how much pro-choice campaigners like to ignore it, they can’t change the fact: the Eighth Amendment has been saving lives for 34 years and counting. On its anniversary, we should be celebrating it and working on ways to improve our pro-life ethos. Yours, Miriam Smith, Mornington.