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THE TÁNAISTE HAS said that Ireland’s current abortion laws do not serve Irish women well and has reiterated her opposition to the 8th Amendment.
Joan Burton was speaking in the wake of the emergence of a case of a woman in Mullingar who is being kept on life support – against her parents’ wishes – because she is pregnant.
“In my view the eighth amendment does not actually serve women well when issues of their life, their safety, their health, are in question,” Burton told reporters today.
The Mulligar case is due before the High Court next Tuesday. Burton said that while she did not want to comment it was “very hard for that particular family with what they’re going through” at Christmas.
The Labour leader said the case was an example of cases that “throw up the most agonising and difficult dilemmas”.
“At the centre of that will inevitably be young women and the babies that they’re carrying. So it’s an incredibly difficult issue,” she said.
Expanding on her views she said that she personally and the Labour party were opposed to the 8th Amendment to the Constituon which enshrines to equal right to life of the unborn.
She added: “We said it was wrong to put it into the constitution, but the people of Ireland in their wisdom decided differently – and that’s their prerogative in any referendum to make a decision as they see fit.
“Now, if my daughter, or my nieces, or anyone in my circle, my friends, my family, my neighbours, is facing a pregnancy and the pregnancy and the delivery become very difficult, thankfully in Ireland our maternity services are pretty good, very good, but we all know that difficult situations arise.
“And actually the people that I want to see around the bed are the doctors, not the lawyers. And the notion that to get appropriate medical treatment you basically have to go to a lawyer to get to your doctor, I think that as a society we have to ask ourselves a fundamental question, hold on, is this right? It’s a very difficult debate. There are no easy answers on this.”
Burton acknowledged that the issue was a difficult one for Fine Gael and “for the Taoiseach personally”.
Originally published 1pm
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Is this the same Flanagan who’s lobbying the Egyptian authorities on behalf of Muslim Brotherhood extremists?
That would be the same guy alright! Pandering to extremists! The very people who want to change our laws to Sharia use them against us. Don’t get so tolerant that you tolerate intolerance.
The Irish citizen indefinitely interned without due process by a military dictatorship?
No it’s the same Charlie Flanagan who refused to expel the Israeli ambassador for murdering hundreds of children recently.
Do you mean the person who entered Egypt on an Egyptian passport ?
Still an Irish citizen, whether you believe with his opinions or not.
if we didn’t allow terrorists to refuel in shannon the threat would be nil
They weren’t terrorists, they were the Americans. Letting the Americans refuel there is why we might be a target. Try and keep up.
I should keep up? ))) keep reading it, the penny has to drop eventually )))))) Numpty
Now, now my child. Just because I corrected you, there is no need to resort to name calling. I was only doing it to clear up your confusion.
Terror threat to Ireland is low ! , well if the number of Muslims continue to grow that “low ” might change
Only 2% of EU terror attacks since 2010 were Islamic, ther dont report lone wolfs, seperatisis and nationalist attacks cos theyre not as sexy.
Same in the US their biggest threat remains right wing extremists
That statistic is completely misleading
140, 000 murders in the USA since 9/11 fewer than 100 with any fundamentalist connection. Sharia law? The mind boggles. Who/what system benefits from keeping people churned up about this while they steal kids’ patrimonies?
There is a cowardice that responds to this in the West.
It might be an idea to look around the Parnell Square area.
Or Dame Street, Solny?
Tap, that’s where I live.
Thanks for the heads up Comrade Shinnerbot.
Keep your eyes peeled Prov, rumour has it that there are some suspicious characters hanging around that area.
All I see are freedom fighting patriots, but don’t worry, if I see any terrorists I’ll be quick to deflect.
the south circular road, post office on leopards corner on dole day etc etc, w.union shoo hooo.
“policy of integration” haven’t ye tried that already? best of luck with trying what’s not possible. Don’t let them return here, home? this is not their home.
Meanwhile in Australia… https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/26035713/call-for-muslim-army-in-australia/
It’s well known by the man on the street that jihadists are hiding out in Ireland. What’s not well known is the Americans and Britain is watching very carefully and they will take action if necessary.
Not to mention G2 and Garda Special Branch who have a long track record of nearly unbroken success w terrorism si
The article mentions integration, something that will never ever happen. Multiculturism does not work and there is zero evidence that it does. On a side note has any other Irish person given any type of vote on mass immigration or integration or is this forced integration? by the way the U.N convention on human rights states that forced integration is genocide, under article 2 i think.
no we were not given vote cos they’d know the outcome, so forced it, and the UK now says they should have put it to the people.
the cartoons should be published here in solidarity with freedom of speech. if they think theres no threat here, then theres one way to find out, or would they be not so sure? they’re not sure, they’re here too and lots and lots of sympathisers hiding behind face.
Be alert, your country needs lerts
I can’t believe the comments painting all Muslims with the same brush. Just as the KKK does not represent all Christians, fundamental terrorists such as those in France do no represent all Muslims.
Why is it low???
Because we have such a small Muslim population.
Ireland on high alert. Keep that one eye open paudge
have your say