On 25 May 2018, Ireland will hold a referendum on abortion. Ireland (along with Poland, Malta, and Northern Ireland) has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. The vote is being watched around the world, with commentators arguing that Ireland’s decision will have a global impact. Ultimately, the choice is for Ireland to make alone. The repercussions of their choice, however, will influence the debate everywhere.
You can see some of the common arguments for and against abortion here. We have also previously looked at the question of whether there should be EU-wide rules for abortion or not.
What do our readers think? We had a comment sent in by Fátima, who argues that when abortion was illegal in her country, Portugal, it meant women had the procedure conducted illegally, leading to potential health problems. In Ireland today, many women travel elsewhere in Europe to terminate a pregnancy or buy abortion pills online (something the Irish Minister for Health has warned is unsafe). However, globally, a woman dies every 11 minutes from complications related to unsafe abortion
To get a reaction to Maeve O’Hanlon, a spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign. What would she say to Fátima?
To get another perspective, we also spoke to Catriona Graham, Policy and Campaigns Officer at the European Women’s Lobby. How would she respond?
Next up, we had a comment from Beny, who believes that the really critical question in this debate is: “When does human life start?”
What would Maeve O’Hanlon from the Pro Life Campaign say?
How would Catriona Graham from the European Women’s Lobby respond to the same comment?
Finally, we had a comment from Julka, arguing that legalising abortion would not be necessary if better sex education was promoted in schools, which she believes would dramatically reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies. Is she right?
How would Maeve O’Hanlon respond?
What would Catriona Graham say to Julka’s comment about abortion and sex education in schools?
Should abortion be legal everywhere? When does human life start? Does banning abortion mean women get procedures done illegally, putting their health at risk? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
185 comments Post a commentcomment
To murder the unborn child because its inconvenient is still murder, no matter how much you try and deny it.
Agree
Even if it’s the result of a rape or it’s brain damaged with no future. You are not the ones who have to suffer the consequences. It should be up to the woman , it’s her body.
It’s a murder only if you define it that way. None of you have the authority to define it as a murder. You are not doctors and cannot say when life begins.
Ivan Kalanj Wrong, that was the attitude in the German concentration camps and Russian Gulags, as soon as you start killing where does it end. Taking a life is murder no matter how you define it.
Life is ‘scientifically’ recognised as the moment after the first cell division.
The abortion question is ‘When does a life have the right to live’ ?, it is not ‘is the foetus alive’. If you do not understand this basic fact then you have a problem.
If you have the right to take that life why stop there, is there any other group of human beings you would like to take away their right to live or is it just the most vulnerable in society you hate ?
Fred Worledge I hate to break this to you but the man play a large part in the reproductive process too so it is not just the woman’s right to decide, strange how some people claim equality but want sole responsibility when it suits them.
Who are you to say who can live or who should die by being ripped apart in the womb ?
It becomes a life when the heart starts beating. At 4 weeks, life is given to the baby, so yes. It’s murder.
Marco N Sara Armento wrong, life is measured by brain activity, so no its not murder, because the cut off date for abortions is just before a fetuses brain starts to work. people are alive today with bionic hearts, tell me, do you know anyone alive today without a working brain
Connor Dunn There are hospitals all over the world looking after people today without a working brain. Are you saying its ok to kill them ? Your comment ‘ life is measured by brain activity’ is about as wrong as you could possibly be. A good job for you that your parents didn’t agree with you.
https://www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/embryoquotes2.html
Ok. So, let a child grown up in a fam where they don’t love the child. Is better?
Child abuse in every kind of way what will be end by psyologic problems is better than an end off a pregnant women before 20 weeks?
Sorry but that sounds not ok to me.
Laura IJkelenstam-Tillema Better than being ripped apart in the womb and having their brains crushed and sucked out ? hell yes.
If you don’t want a child, don’t get pregnant, its not rocket science.
Ivan Burrows how can you say that you are a men. Never have a life inside growning.
And a child at 20 weeks is not that complete that it can feel that.
And what if the women is raped or….
…no one than only the women here self must make the choice. Not we. Not the government. Only she!!
Laura IJkelenstam-Tillema
Your dismissing my opinion because I am a man is idiotic, try having a child without us and see how far you get. Do you want equality or not ? Pro murder campaigners always bring up the rape victims even though 99.99% of abortions have nothing to do with rape. Even if rape is the cause of a pregnancy one evil act does not cancel out the murder of a child..
Would you like to terminate anyone else because they are a burden or is it just children you hate ? I pity anyone growing old hoping you will look after them & I sincerely hope others will be more sympathetic than you are when its your turn to be cared for.
Ivan Burrows sorry your are going to far.
I love life. And you cant say that it don’t love childeren.
If you had look better…you see two lovely backs off my kids. I love them with all my heart.
Almost 8 years ago I was very happy to get pregnant. I was….
…but I speak for those how aren’t that happy. How don’t have the right home to let a child grown up.
And a child needs a lovely save home. And if the mother cant give that how are we to say that she must keep the child and let it born.
Laura IJkelenstam-Tillema
I go to far ? we are talking about the most precious thing in nature, how the hell could I go to far to protect it ?
You claim to love children but are happy for them to be pulled part inside his/her mother by the very people who take an oath to do no harm & their death warrant is signed by the person who should be the one to love and raise them ? …. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny..
Contraception exists so when killing the child is more convenient than using it maybe it is time for western society to fall..
Definition of ‘mother’:
noun
a woman in relation to her child or children.
verb
bring up (a child) with care and affection.
Motherhood is the most important role in nature but it has been reduced to an inconvenient joke by the self proclaimed progressives.
Yes, you going to far to say that I don’t love kids. And thats not true.
I know what it is to be a good taking care mother. More than you know. So, stop saying that Im a bad thinking mother. You don’t even know me that well. Lets keep it to the subject.
Because you talk about taking life? While you love war games. Isn’t that right? War as a game? Sorry
But I think what I think. And you what you think.
Laura IJkelenstam-Tillema To compare war between Nation States with the genocide of the innocent is ludicrous..
Taking the life of a 1 year old would be rightly condemned no matter how the child was conceived but taking that life before the child is even born is OK ? I never really believed in heaven & hell but you have convinced me the devil really does exist & he thanks you for your service.
@ivan “there are hospitals … looking after people without a working brain”, meaning NO brain activity.
When you’re brain-dead, you are dead. People still caring for those bodies is as relevant as saying “undertakers take good care of the corpses they bury”.
Ivan Burrows that you can work at the European Parliament and have no respect for other people there thinking I don’t understand.
Calling me some devil sorry. You are not good at your mind. Be respectfull to other people. And there choices.
And about war. War is no good for every one. Putting a child in war is wrong. Give a child a weapon so they can help in the war is wrong.
War is wrong!
Laura IJkelenstam-Tillema The day you respect the life the unborn ‘child’ I will respect you.
@fred her body is her body but the baby has it’s own body and as such human rights, also there is a father somehwere who should also have rights in this question as he is part of procreation. Ofcourse if there is a serious health complication threatening the life of the mother or unborn baby during pregnancy then the doctor will confer with the mother or hopefully both parents as to what is best to do.
My great concern is that abortion has become the right of the slut to be a slut. Ofcourse go out with men from Tinder, have unprotected sex, and then when the obvious happens you go to the DR to get rid of ”the problem”. Before abortion women would have to be responsible actors or live with the consequences.
I have my opinion because one day at school this one girl was walking down the stairs talking to her friend and I overheard the conversation and she was talking about doing abortions like it was some casual thing. It totally disgusted me and I’l never forget it.
There are other options then Abortion, I do not get why when women get pregnant and she doesn’t want it (whether the father is in the picture or not) typically the first thought is abortion when there are other alternatives.
Yes, it should be legal everywhere.
What about the elderly & the disabled ? is it time to terminate (another name for murder) them too ?
Ivan Burrows if they actually wish to die like that 104 years old who opted for euthanasia then yes but what it has to do with abortion again? Those are unrelated issues.
Artis Lapsiņš ‘if they actually wish to die ‘ ? Are the unborn children given the choice ? The issues are not only related they are the same issue, a life is being taken.
Ivan Burrows do you even know what the fetus/embryo is. It has a tube of simple cells as a nervous system for most of the early development. It doesn’t think and if you believe bunch of cells has the same rights as mature organism you can claim genocide every time you brush your teeth. Most early pregnancies actually end in spontaneous abortion naturally due to genetic defects.
Artis Lapsiņš I know exactly what they are thanks, a pity you do not.
Millions of people live with genetic defects, are they also on your hit list ? :
Defintion of ‘Life’:
The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
Trying to justify murder because you think its just a bunch of cells just shows how close we really are to the destruction of mankind. 1930’s Germany had the same idea. It did not end well.
Just a bunch of cells ?
http://www.cocnoticias.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/feto.jpg
Ivan Burrows so because plants can grow and reproduce we can’t destroy the plant cells too? Destruction of man kind will be the overpopulation that is happening in the developing world that leads to things like the migrant crisis and wars.
Artis Lapsiņš Plants provide food to prolong life & abortion takes life, trying to conflate the two just shows how weak the pro murder argument is.
You seem to be happy with the idea of forced abortion to bring down the population but naturally you would exclude your own lineage. How very humanitarian of you..
same as a plant ?
http://old.hisbranches.org/eo/fetal/pics/6w.jpg
Ivan Burrows can you please stop posting you ridiculous pictures, I’m an actual medical professional, I’ve seen embryos under the microscope and dead human fetuses in real life, I know how they look. You are wrong and on the loosing side of history. Religion and superstition is dying out everywhere and that is your real issue.
Artis Lapsiņš
You think human life is ‘ridiculous’ ? That says a great deal about you comrade & you may be a medical professional but so was Josef Mengele so that counts for nothing.
People should know what they are killing before making a judgement & it has nothing to do with religion or ‘your’ opinion.
Dieing out religion and superstition? spoken like a true liberal only could. i think you better check your facts some religions more primitive are growing and spreading across the world a world which is turning a blind eye to some of there medievil practices in the name of multiculturism.
ΕU is crying out that the european population is aging dramatically now is asking if abortions could be legal everywhere?? you sacrifice morality to the altar of pleasure
You do not have the authority to define morality. It seems like you will never get pregnant yet you want to tell others what to do with their bodies. Do you like to feel powerfull when you say things like this?
Τhere are plendy of condoms and pills in order to avoid an unwilling pregnancy… However with your body you can do whatever you like but you dont have the authorization to kill the infants…
Dimitris Orfanoudis its not killing since killing requires taking the live of something living….there is nothing living
If you cut a little plant for sure it will dies .. If u do it within 3 months of pregnacy you cut the begining of a life
I think it should be strictly restricted, and allowed only for women.
I would extend such right also to men!!!!
Eleonora Apponi Battini you’re an extremist!
Yes, legal everywhere
Better free condoms
Democracy also means that each people decides its own destiny. In other words, if you are not Irish: none of your business
So, if democracy is that everyone has to decide his/her destiny, there should be laws allowing individuals to choose. Then, it’s up to the single whether or not resort to the instrument provided by the law
Maybe. If this is the model that a given people choose to apply in free and democratic elections, without interference of foreigners
but with interference of a man who wants to choose for ´´his´´ women? or men shouldnt have a right to vote..or is this a national issue more than a gender equality issue and women´s health and choice issue?
yes, true. But in practice, there is no nation with more men than women. I was referring to democracies, to intervene against a dictator or a plutocracy in defense of the people, for example the women, is a different story and fully legitimate
not sure if your not irish its none of our business is correct, as the women who choose to have abortions have to go to other countrys ,which is our business.
E’un atto molto doloroso,purtroppo in alcuni casi andrebbe fatto……
Yes. Body autonomy is a human right.
And human rights are valid regardless of referenda.
τα κυοφορούμενα δηλαδή
στερούνται σώματος άρα και δικαιωμάτων;
Δεν αναγνωρίζεται ανθρώπινη ή νομική υπόσταση σε μια μικρή ομάδα κυττάρων (ζυγωτό). Και πολύ ορθώς. Καλό σου βράδυ.
Yes, absolutely.
Yes, because a lot of females lose their lives getting illegal abortions or suffer from the side affects. A lot of women have their contraception fail. A lot of women are not financially or mentally ready to be mothers. Adoption is not as easy or safe as you might think. For a lot of woman pregnancy can be life threatening and needs to be ended. There are many many more reasons why thousands of women come to this very hard decision and we should at least ensure that they have the option that it happens in a safe place, by people who are qualified to carry this procedure. Whether you are personally morally against it or not, shouldn’t prevent thousands of others women to have the choice, nor should it push them to dangerous alternatives, it is a very complicated issue that should be talked about more in schools and home, along with contraception, because it will always happen.
Yes, but majority of abortions aren’t due to the risks of complications. Majority of abortions are just for confidiency. Woman wants to kill her child, because she wants to continue her free lifestyle without greater responsibilities.
Abortions should be legal in some cases, but confidiency isn’t one of them. If you don’t want to get pregnant, then take care of your protection or keep your legs shut.
I’m sorry but with abortion you’re not killing a child, let’s make that clear. What you are talking about is women who are not ready to be mothers and that’s just as a good reason for someone to have an abortion as a medical reason. For women who accidentally fall pregnant and are not ready to be mothers, this is one of the hardest decisions they will have to make. This is not something they decide overnight not something they forget overnight. Parenthood is a big responsibility and acknowledging the fact that you are not the type of person to carry that responsibility is more sensible than going along with it just because you don’t have the option or you’re socially pressured into this. It’s a life changing decision both ways, whether someone decides to have an abortion or not. Also, how about men for once keep their legs shut and stop shaming women?
It is already legal in Ireland to terminate a pregnancy if the mother’s health is at risk. (eg. for an ectopic pregancy, or in cases of terminal cancer)
My brother and sis in law adopted two of their children overseas, and we love them to bits! There are many wonderful families just longing for children to adopt. Adoption should not be portrayed as an obstacle for pregnant women wondering what to do.
I’m not trying to portray adoption as an obstacle, but the matter of fact is that it is not as easy as a lot of people think,both because of bureaucracies but also psychological reasons, and a lot of pro life supporters will use it as an alternative to shame women who do not think that’s the best option for them. I think more people should adopt, there are many children out there without a home, but it is not an easy process, let alone when you have to carry and then give away the baby. Here, we’re not only talking about ireland, the question was whether we think it should be legal everywhere, and unfortunately a lot of women across the globe have to carry pregnancies that are risky to their health because an alternative is illegal and punishable.
No
People should be taught and realize about contraception. Mothers should be supported by society to deliver. Abortion can not be a promoted right. Its a high sensitive matter and affects lives. The life of the mother, the life of the father and the life of the unborn living kid. USE CONDOMS dont make abortion a trend.
Meh, agreed on everything except that Abortion should be a right. I do not mind it being promoted in areas where it is not a right yet.
Raphael Grab it shouldnt be propoted as something usual casual and trend
Also affects lives, yes. It affects the life of the mother and father, who are the ones who decide if they want to abort or not. Hence its their own damn responsibility. On the other hand, the life of the unborn child is nothing more than that, a life of something unborn. Why should parents not be able to affect their childs live? Especially when that child has yet to be born.
Raphael Grab its a matter of high sensitivity its not and should not be considered as a routine contraception procedure its not
no contraceptive is 100%,and on occasions circumstances can change and would no longer be able to support a child
Connor Dunn the majority of abortions is because of NO USE of condom at all.
Yes!
You either have legal, safe abortion or illegal unsafe abortion. Let the woman choose
Again a topic that the left-liberal Europhile “debatingeurope” discussed which is NOT an EU competence. Abortion is a national competence. To push these kind of topics to legalize push people away from the EU. Please keep yourself to your core competences and discuss how these can be improved.
As Brexiteers kindly remind us on a regular basis: Europe =/= the EU.
Good point Leo!
Abortion is not an EU competence! Why are they persisting?
http://www.comece.eu/site/en/ourwork/pressreleases/2013/article/7812.html
Let’s believe that ABORTION falls under the shared competence “to support, coordinate or supplement actions of the member states” per Article 6 TFEU listed under “HEALTH” being only “recommendations & opinions”!
https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/health_en
Is a wide & public discussion of important issues welcomed and maybe signs of a (“fair? & direct”?) democratic process- even under the umbrella of the DE/EU?
However, it is the way all these & other issues are presented which are concerning! Namely, to clearly indicate that:
the request for these discussions should be exposed as coming from the requesting (still sovereign) Member States (voters) and not some murky agents, unknown or typical “journalistic” sources.
I would like to see that the EU still respects the principle of the “variation” of its existing competences and doesn’t use sloppiness & floppiness deliberately.
To disrespect that, could be interpreted as “intention to mislead” and/or to create the impression of an already powerful ruling Suzerain who deliberately uses underhand tactics to “serenade” the millions of voters by ANY means.
The present issue goes back a long time, has been dusted off several times & will remain controversial.
Euobserver 1. July 2002: ,https://euobserver.com/news/6846
The peoblem is that some human rights should not be a matter of debate. If rights lile this are not inalienable, then others can use referenda to deny those rights. If we are discussing about this then the problem is serious.
I guess it depends on religion, tradition and in the end, it’s a personal choice, not to be asked by Debating Europe. I know abortion it’s a strong point on neoliberal and progressist agenda, but it seems that’s not the case in Europe unless they want to bring it up cyclically.
Should it be legal? In some situations yes, but inconvidience isn’t one of them.
I understand when abortion is made, when mothers life is at risk, or the psycholochical trauma, for example in the case of rape is too huge for the mother to go through the pregnancy.
But when you do abortion, you are killing a human being period. And I feel sorry for people who try to claim otherwise.
But the problem isn’t abortions. The problem is this hedonistic, lust driven sex culture that we life in. Sex isn’t anymore this holy, precious act that keeps our society going on. Sex has been raped and mutilated to be a simple hobby, and people are couraged to fuck everyone and everything.
Abortion is not an answer to unwanted pregnancies. The cure to unwanted pregnancies is protection and better sexual morals.
Degenerecy is the main reason fwhat leads to abortions.
Kim Jongen for your paper
this is helpful! thank you <3 <3
Legal everywhere! No excuses!
Even when the law autorises abortion, no-one is obligated to do it. It is the woman’s choice. The society doesn’t to make this decision for her!
Yes no question about it
The argument is either that it’s a human life or it isn’t.
If it isn’t a human life we need to agree when it becomes a human life.
You don’t get to kill people that are inconvenient or we’d have a global population of about 12.
Of course the outlying cases like Rape, Incest or threat to a mother’s life, then of course, but it’s a human, you can’t kill it for no reason.
Also, it’s a seperate life, it isn’t ‘My body my choice’, because a baby might be inside you, but it isn’t you, a simple DNA test proves it isn’t you, as it will have different DNA.
life and death are both medically determined by brain activity, during the abortion stage of a fetus, there is zero brain activity, so medically it is not alive
And aside from that, what if a woman is unable to take care of the infant? It will only lead to baby’s being dumped or worse.
There is a moratorium. . Seeing as this is the EU debates.. screw the moratorium. Keep your legs closed girls if you don’t want a crisis pregnancy.
What if a girl is raped?
Inge van IJsseldijk Make the rapist pay child support. She can put the child up for adoption. If the rapist has to pay child support that might deter would be rapists.
if a girl is raped and she doesn’t want the child, she should be free to have it removed. it’s her body and she decides. end of story.
Judith van Ravenswaaij fair enough.. another scenario. If a girl deliberately gets pregnant and the boyfriend or husband asks her to have an abortion but she refuses, should they be forced to pay child support for a child they didn’t want?
no, i believe not. because they did not want the child. :) in general, i just believe that abortion should be available for anyone who wants to make use of it. people can then decide for themselves whether they want to abort or not. as someone mentioned somewhere up, abortions will either be carried out safely or unsafely. so it’s better to give people the opportunity to do it safely.
Judith van Ravenswaaij You mean Safer. Of the known complications excluding guilt, depression what known risks are associated with abortion? A woman’s body goes through many changes whilst pregnant,and to just turn off the tap can have lasting consequences. Hormone imbalances being relatively common.
‘If the rapist has to pay child support that might deter would be rapists.’. You having a laugh, pal?
Why would their choice have a global impact?
why to kill children only when they are in the belly… legalise children killing at all ages. bravo Ευρώπη
Isn’t this in the European set of human rights?
Of course! Wtf is this question?
How about growing some morals and learning to keep your legs shut instead.
Not every abortion, is a result of rape. 1% of all abortion’s, are a result of rape. And there’d be far less abortions, if you kept your legs shut.
Rape, condom breaking, other birth control failing… Or: what if a married couple don’t want to have kids.. should they just stop having sex?
How about growing a brain and learning to keep your mind open instead Rachael?
And it’s “fewer abortions” not “less abortions” you illiterate ass.
It’s funny how men comment with “keep your legs closed”. Normally you want the opposite. I’m confused…
the world is up to 6 Billion (6 billion) we are destroying the planet. abortion should not be an option it should be a necessity. sorry for all the sprogs who will not be born but MANKIND is killing the fukkin PLANET.
Yes! It’s a human right. For the woman. But also for the unborn.
What if the child get born in a place that it wasnt welcome. What a kind off life would it get.
So, yes. It must be legal.
Murdering another life is a human right?
Simon Clarke to let a child be coming not welcome. And with all the problems like psyologic problems what the child can get of it is better than an end off a pregnant women?
We talk about before the 20 weeks.
Simon Clarke cutting your hairs when and how you want is a human right, right? At the first stage the “unborn” is just some cells. And having a baby is a big deal that change the life of the parents and of the mother in primis. Having an abortion is hard, hormones tend to push the mother in keeping the baby. It’s already a really hard and difficult choice without your low, inappropriate, willingness of telling the others what to do.
Van mij mag het baas in eigen buik. Er zijn veel te veel mensen en GOD komt ons niet redden. Zelf oplossingen bedenken voor een leefbaarder planeet
Of course it should
Yes
Available on demand? Absolutely not.
Only rape or rare situations.
Debating Europe
Why do you never ask the humanitarian question:
‘Should the mass murder of unborn children be banned everywhere ?’
If they are unborn they are not children.
Tim Copperfield Why aren’t they ?
http://www.independent.com.mt/file.aspx?f=153049&width=630&height=340
Yes. Trust the doctors and trust the women, who are making these difficult choices. Read their stories & what that really means.
Weer een referendum. Waarvoor bestaan regeringen?
No, it should not
Says a person eho will never ever need to make such a decision
Ekaterina Vdovinets nobody needs to make such a decision 😉
Gabriel Eduardo Lorca Aicardi make all the women in the world happy and protected first. And.. our body, our choice
Let’s take another aspect of the issue. Whatever each side thinks and whatever arguments they use to support it, there is also an undeniable truth. Abortion exists since ancient times. Period. Meaning…is it going to stop now because of whatever restriction policies are implemented in whatever countries? If your answer is yes you loose the fight and you don’t have a grasp of the reality you live in. It happens. It exists. It will continue existing. Isnt it better to take place in controlled situations ensuring women’s physical and psychological health? Oh and before condemining women as “murderers” because they choose to abort, without even knowning their stories and experiences, think that we also have a bunch of other issues worldwide to point our wrath and morality and values.
Should abortion be legal everywhere?
What exactly does ‘everywhere’ mean? Those countries and people in the world who do not support this political move have a right to define their own sense of what is good policy for them, don’t they? Europe, the UK, or anywhere else, do not have supreme goodness in their own system to demand any other part of the world follow their lead. Much of what passes for ‘right’ here is not believed by a large percent of those who are citizens of our own States. Let alone ‘everywhere’ else being ‘forced’ to adhere to something that is questionable.
What the Irish have to consider in this is not at all easy. And I will try to explain. Most importantly, anti abortion laws maintain that a woman whose body has been horrendously violated by some gutter snipe man when he raped her, must carry his body within her. Whether she wants to or not. His child then, carrying his genes has to be raised by her. What a truly torturous sentence to place on women that is. Does their conscience feel that is something they want to do to women who already have to live a life with this trauma killing their sense of well being?
However, the opposite end of that is, look at the UK and what is happening here. Women, with little sense of the importance of life use abortion regularly as a form of contraception. Leaving the murdering of their able to function child sometimes as late as the eighth and even ninth month. Which means, those abortionist having to perform the act of suffocation on a perfectly viable life. In essence, do murder for her. How many civilised Western indigenous people are ready to take on board that act willingly? And if they are, how will it affect them over time? People often harbour feelings of conscience long after what they thought they could do without distress proves to be very wrong. It haunts them psychologically. Often to destruction. Is this to be considered ‘right’ in our cultivated society?
Women who consciously know when they have sex that the outcome is likely to be pregnancy and do not take steps to stop that, even when they know they will not be prepared to offer that child succour at birth, should be very sure they use the top of the line contraceptive. Abortion should never be used as and alternative to contraception. Which it is here and it is growing as our society becomes less and less aware of morality and the meaning of civilised thought. As the ‘West’ has seen it for centuries.
A child who has been molested by an adult, or, if the child gets pregnant not being fully cognisant of what they can expect as an outcome, should always be considered for early and immediate abortion. As with sick women, either physical or mentally unable to sustain such an abuse on their body. Which child bearing is.
All that aside, there simply has to be a cut off point. Nobody should remain pregnant after 13 weeks, even if the law decides she can abort, if she knows she does not want to be a mother. To delay is more than irresponsible. As that, once again, calls on other people to do a service they may find obnoxious. It is not a good idea to go along with, because these out to lunch brains cannot see further than their noses, we must make it all right for them. And as a result, find we must take their burden and give it to another soul to deal with.
Really, this scenario sums up our lunatic political correctness of taking no responsibility for ones own actions. Unless, of course, it means eating meat, or, using feathers to put in your hat. Light weight nut case issues we are shoved with morning to night by chancers who want a band wagon to jump on. But, never ever are we made to discuss or take any kind of action when it comes to real issues of life and death.
The Irish have a big issue for their entire social well being in this vote of theirs. As once it is in law, it will be used for every death sentence to be passed on from the adults surrounding them.
@Ivan
Well said!
The “Pro-choice” extremists even hide behind an inaccurate slogan – “Pro-death” would be more apposite.
NO…..birth control should
As long as its paid for by the woman.
What about the guy who got her pregnant? Takes two 🤔🤔🤔
David Forsyth If the man is her partner and has a equal say in the decision then yes.
But it seems like most women say its their decision only. So their money only too?
this is crime of course. But some people has not another choice, it’s destiny, everybody has it different.it that case government must give moral nd financial support to women during the all period of pregnancy.after birth can take child if she (they) agrees.because nowadays the number of infinite people unfortunelly is increasing
rape or the child dying inside is the only reason for this
Of course it should be legal. why would anyone want to force an unwanted baby to be born?
Yes
I live in Northern Ireland, I am a young girl. After hearing yesterdays result I feel absolutely disgusted that I live in such a world that allows a woman to terminate a pregnancy and end a life.
An unborn baby, who has done nothing to harm anyone or anything, will not have a chance to breathe nor to prove its worth in this world. A foetus’s heart starts beating at around 22 days within the womb. But yet there are selfish women out there who take its chance away to breathe outside the womb.
I believe that in todays society there women who will use abortion as a form of contraception. They have sex and instead of taking the morning after pill, they decide that they will wait a couple of weeks and abort the child. This is wrong.
There are thousands of couples in this world who long to be parents. But cant. They want one thing in life – a baby. And they cannot have it. So, my point is – women out there who do not want children, who have unprotected sex fall pregnant. They hop on a fight and abort another child. Meanwhile, more couples go another few days with no baby, despite all their efforts. To all those selfish scum out there – spend a few quid and buy a condom. Or, even better.. Go get the pill or the implant instead of wasting another child’s life!!
There is a lot of social pressure about having kids as a couple/not aborting kids, which should be liberated. Sterilization for men/women is a topic not often discussed and public health insurance won’t pay for it.
Of course it should be legal, the question is at what point should it be illegal. There is no clear cut way to define when the bundle of cells becomes a ‘person’. We surely cannot call a bundle of 100 cells a person. We could say that there is the ‘potential’ for it to become a person, but there is also a potential for each sperm cell and each egg that humans have to become a person. So if we’re gonna say that the ‘potential’ for the 100 cells to become a person means that we cannot abort the 100 cells, then we also must ensure that every egg that every female produces be fertilized, as the sperm and egg have the potential to become a person as well! But we don’t do that. That would be stupid.
The bundle of cells starts to become a ‘person’ when it starts to have a fully developed nervous system and a brain. The brain is where ‘we’ as a person exist. As the brain develops the fetus becomes more and more of a person, as it develops the capacity to ‘think’ to a degree, and to feel. Any point along the development of the fetus that we use to distinguish a fetus from a person will be arbitrary to a degree, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t choose a reasonable point. The reasonable point would be around the last part of the pregnancy where the fetus can now feel pain and has a highly developed brain. By choosing this as our point we can balance the rights of the female to bodily autonomy with the rights of the fetus as a ‘person’; if we choose an earlier point then we restrict the rights of the woman in favor of the rights of a bundle of cells with no brain or nervous system that cannot think or feel, and if choose a later point we restrict the rights of a nearly fully developed infant with the capacity to feel, feel emotions to a degree, feel pain, and think/react for the rights of the woman.
Yes. I’m sorry, was that a rhetorical question?
Strictly under conditions….
If they pay for it. But no woman will abort if the man is rich, right?
This shouldn’t be a issue, it is not your body it is not your decision!
Stop treating women as a public space.
Should humans have equal rights? Yes…end of the argument…😁😁
It must be legal but it should not be encouraged.
Yes
You completely wrong the topic. You have to start from the fact that abortion is not a contraceptive, there are a thousand ways to not have unwanted children and everyone applies If for ignorance
A person gets pregnant and doesn’t want it there are the institutions that will take care of him. Obviously the boys should be educated about how his body works and the whole reproductive part to avoid coming to unwanted pregnancies and the institutions think about it. Abortion yes but only in exceptional cases such as the risk of mother’s death and it will be for her which life to save if her or that of the child etc…. out of these exceptional cases abortion is an assassination
Secure and free abortion in the Wold. Woman decide
It shouldn’t be banned, but there should be very strict regulations and it shouldn’t be treated simply as a contraceptive
Yes
Of course, it ‘s a mater just reporting womens, their lives and choses.
Killing babies bur saving crimnals. Brave new world.
Babies? You need to study a litle more. Just a fetus till ten weeks.
Yes. No discussion.
Every woman have to decide ! It’s her body and her will!
It’s her body, but the baby is only 50% hers.
Baby is no one’s property. It is a life that is born and must be protected, before being born with education and after
Любомир well you carry it than
Николай – Sorry, I didn’t invent biology. It doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid.
It’s 50% hers, but bears 100% of complications, discomfort and birth pain. So, technically, has 100% of the decisions.
Георги – Technically, but not really, because there are a number of lives impacted by a pregnancy, not only the mother’s. Also, there are the moral and legal aspects. Because every child has 2 biological parents, the responsibility for the decision to abort it should be shared.
Let us not take this lightly. There is no way we can answer the question in a simple phrase… By the age of three months the fetus is legally considered a human being. Should we protect one at the expense of another’s life? Who gets to make the call? On the other hand, a rape victim falls under the same question. Should we protect the baby at the possible cost of the mother’s life? What if the depression and ptsd overwhelm her? And this kind of ranting can go on infinitely… I believe every woman should have a choice. I believe all that can be done should be done to avoid killing an unborn human being. I believe in utopia. A woman should never have to be in the face of a choice of this kind! I believe we should protect life above all!
Yes. It should.
Yes. How is this still a question in 2019?
The argument against is that you’re killing another person.
Bernard, but you aren’t killing a person since a person is born.
Tristan I’m not sure that makes any sense.
No!!! Because we don’t have the right to murder/kill other person !!! If you don’t want to be pregnant make safe sex!!!!
Savvas, abortion isn’t the same as killing a person. A person is born. And having safe sex is not a bulletproof system: condoms can break. Besides there are of course pregnancies caused by rape and/or incest, where the whole chosing to have safe sex isn’t really an option.
Of course not. It should be illegal everywhere
Leopold, dictatorship. Why to control the womens lives you don’ t know and a mater out you live?…
Montarcilio
I don’t care for them. Same question for any EU regulation: why do you want to control my life when you don’t even know me?
Leopold, probably, we are not talking about same thing.
Leopold, I didn’t know you could get pregnant?
P.S. And aren’t you trying to control other people’s lives by saying it should be illegal everywhere?
Of course
Against abortion. Only for medical reasons – Yes, do it – save one lives at least. Kids are not guilty for parents mistakes. Why Kids must pay price with their lives for parents mistake or stupidity?! Do You want to pay with Your live because someone make a “mistake” ? Law say “if kill someone – you going in Gail. Bible say – “ You can’t have hope for haven and immortal live”.
Yes
Legal maybe. Paid by social security services, only in cases of rape, malformation or death risk for mom or child. All other cases should be paid by them either the process and the consequences
And how do you prove the pregnancy was the result of a rape? Until a trial begins and a decision is made, it will almost always take way longer than 3 months
Andreea at least there’s a police report.
Andreea if it was a rape he should pay full costsy
Andreea I don’t care how. Do you want to pay taxes for fixing the joy of others? No, I don’t want to.
No, abortion should be illegal everywhere.
MY BODY MY RULES
Every country/community decides for themselves. We are not building a global dictatorship.
It should be legalised all over the world, indeed!
Yes, it should. Governments must pass the laws that protect their citizens. The lack of a law does not mean abortion does not exist. It means it is illegal. It means governments neglect women.
The issue of abortion can easily be handled by considering moral principles in Europe and many other non-Western countries. However, in the US, abortion, feminism and gender, etc. have been manipulated to win political power. The Clash of Civilization has clearly turning from the East and the West to within nations and countries, as democratic party competition has been Americanized. Traditional political elites appear to be expelled by Americanized demagogic politicians. Abortion and human rights are very often concealing hidden political agenda to divide people and country. We have been witnessing the Americanized attacks on governments trying to save lives during the pandemic. Just when Europe was about to kick off the post-Covid social and economic recovery, the Europe and China investment agreement has been killed by a fake news fabricated by the UK/BBC last year. Just when Europe is about to kick off the post-Covid social and economic recovery, Europe demagogic politicians start to fuel the conflict by following American-led sanctions in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine instead of using peaceful settlement as prevailing international order, which is no military means ought to be used before expiring all peaceful means as stipulated in the UN Charters and the EU principles. By following American/NATO-led sanctions against Russian, EU is actually sanctioning itself and causing difficulties to European citizens.
I think it should be legal. We don’t want to go back to the days when women threw themselves downstairs or drank dangerous tea concoctions. Or even worse, a new black market of untrained people offering dangerous abortions.
yes but now aborption is as easy as to buy a mac donald
It should be legal but definitely not on demand.
Aborbtion dhould not be banned but should have severe restrictions. Aborbtion is a death sentence