Sir, – The recent decision taken by a large group of Fine Gael deputies to block any movement on legislation in relation to the X case is unacceptable (Home News, July 19th). It is undemocratic to blatantly disregard the democratic mandate given by the people of Ireland in two successive referendums. This decision also contravenes rulings of both the Irish Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights and, as a consequence, raises serious questions about the health of our democracy.
Surely the primary duty of elected representatives is to represent the will of the people and to abide by Supreme Court decisions? This manoeuvre also marks an abandonment of Irish women by their elected representatives and demonstrates what little concern the Government has for the status of women in this country.
Year after year government shirks its responsibility to women living in Ireland and the suffering of thousands of women is protracted as a result. The current Government is complicit in placing the lives of women in danger as they are denied access to life-saving abortions in Ireland and forced to carry unwanted or untenable pregnancies to term.
Prohibiting access to abortion impoverishes women, threatens their health and well-being, and adds further anguish to many women who might be in crisis by criminalising them. Forced pregnancies victimise women and compound rape, incest and domestic violence. Research consistently shows that abortion does not cause women emotional harm or increase rates of mental illness – forced pregnancy does.
We have been waiting for 20 years for the government to act as ordered by the people and the courts. This is a civil rights issue, not a religious or personal issue. TDs cannot let their personal opinion overrule their public duty. We, 25 teachers and researchers from a range of Ireland’s third-level institutions demand that after the summer recess the current Government must implement what the Supreme Court and the Irish people have mandated it to do – legislate for X. – Yours, etc,