@Andy K: My view on abortion is to the left of SFs policy, so its

Do try to keep up, lest you look silly.

@The Risen: Steve makes a very relevant point.

@Michael Farrelly: Not really when their plans for the ‘economy or anything else’ are freely available on their website.

@The Risen: Why should anyone try to ‘keep up’ with the views of some anonymous online Provophile?

@steve white: tough for shinners to look like they want abortion when many of their support base are religiously inclined. They’re not going to be able to square this peg so they are in filibuster mode for as long as they can so they look like they care without really caring at all. Anything to win a vote. It’s their policy on most things to be fair so at least they are consistent.

@The Risen: they decided which way they were going to vote before the committee hearings were over.

@steve white: By ‘they’ do you mean the membership who got to vote on the matter via their ard feis?

@The Risen: yes..but why do SF bother to attend the committee meetings. They are voting as directed by ard fheis (No issue with that)…so it doesn’t matter what they hear at committee.

@steve white: In fairness, so did the committee

@Mary Loony Mc Donald: Presumably so they can report back information from those committee meetings?

@Brendan O’Brien Perhaps it’s because they’re beholden to the fifth commandment (Thou shalt not kill)——Oh oh: It’s Sinn Fein we’re talking about!

@Andy K: you oviously never looked up the sinn fein website sinn fein have policys on all matters your comment is not very educated

@The Risen: typical SF. When the going gets too tough for them they run for the nearest fence. They were a waste of space on the committee.

@Harry Roberts: You must have been watching a different committee mate. The Sinn Fein TDs were among many of the excellent contributors there.

@John Doe: ah shure it’s OK, when the PC zeitgeist approve. We need to be at the vanguard of liberalist thinking.

@Tom McHugh: just to be clear, this is from a person who detests nationalism dressed up as republicans.

@The Risen: no I mean the SF members of the committee who position was frozen before the end of the committee hearings

@Shane Carroll: no it’s the people who validate that non-communal stance by their votes that is the true fence sitting. She would actually lose votes if she took a stand. Safer to fix potholes, get ppl a medical card and express no opinions

@コナー・リンチ Conor Lynch: sorry, non-comittal

@The Risen: silly post by you. if they have a clear position why didn’t they vote for or against. Abstaining on votes shouldn’t be an option. This is the tactic FF are using to support FG while trying to save face. The abortion issue should be a simple referendum to either bring us in line with the rest of Europe or stay as we are. Why are politicians turning it into such a devisive issue? Distraction from other issues I would say.

@The Risen: not very clear when they abstain

@The Risen: If they have a clear position then surely it should be easy to vote one way or the other based on that position?

@John Doe: To the best of my knowledge SF have never voted on unrestricted access up till 12 weeks. On foot of that an abstention makes sense as there is no formal position.

I’m open to correction on this.

@The Risen: Makes sense I suppose

@The Risen: What is that position please.

@Bart: if you have evidence of a murder please call the Gardai.

@Franklin Roosevelt: Dry your eyes love.

Honeybadger leading a political rally:

WHAT DO WE WANT?
Incremental political change!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
As little as possible, as late as possible!

And a review of your political rally:
Just got back from the centrist rally. Amazing turnout. Thousands of people holding hands and chanting “Better things aren’t possible!”

@Franklin Roosevelt: You must be incredibly bored, comrade. :)

@David Knight: the majority of terminations are done in the first trimester, it’s not like FFA which usually get picked up on 16 weeks plus, it’s not like someone who is 24 weeks pregnant just decided to have a termination for the crack of it, if you find out your pregnant it’s at the 6 to 8 week stage, you can’t continue you can take a pill by 10 weeks your not pregnant anymore.

@WynnnerZ:

It’s so easy and clinical “you can take a pill by 10 weeks your not pregnant anymore”.

More simple, you could exercise adult responsibility and not be pregnant at all.

@Fran Lonergan: Are you including rape victims in your ‘adult responsibility’ comment. How about people who practised adult responsibility by using contraception, but it fails?

@Fran Lonergan: Shall I assume you’ve presented yourself as available for any and all clinical trials relating to the male contraceptive pill. And that you will be gifting all male family members, friends, colleagues, etc condoms for Christmas and subsequent birthdays, ensuring all persons “exercise adult responsibility”.

@Felicity Hensen:

Why would I, and why should take on resposibility for others Felicity? I don’t expect others to absolve me of my responsilities.

We are all responsible for our actions, or should be, I know that has become unfashionable.

Strange though that in all my years I have never been party to a “crisis pregnancy”. It is not difficult.

@Fran Lonergan: If you feel that you should not take on such responsibility, why then do you feel you have the authority to exercise such control over other people’s lives. Should a person choose to have an abortion, they take that responsibility. Not you. Not me. Nor anyone else. That person. And whatever their need or reason to do so is also theirs. To the best of your knowledge you may not have “been party to a “crisis pregnancy”". And you are also not party to the myriad reasons a person may need to avail of abortion services. Your path is yours to travel. You want to prevent abortions, help prevent crisis pregnancies. And if you can’t or won’t do that, at least stop impeding those who take the entire picture into account.

@Felicity Hensen:

But the problem is, they haven’t taken control of their own body. Quite the opposite given in to carnal desire without exercising responsibility and then deciding to destroy the other body they have created.

There is very little need for “crisis pregnancies” and close to no reasons for exercising the selfish decision to kill that which is regarded as a crisis.

It is not difficult not to get pregnant.

“To the best of your knowledge you may not have “been party to a “crisis pregnancy” No, not to the best of my knowledge, to my absolute knowledge.

@The Risen:

What do you reckon is the percentage of abortions due to rape, Risen? An overused straw man.

@Fran Lonergan: Your unwillingness to help contribute to another form of contraception, and your use of giving “in to carnal desire without exercising responsibility”, shows that you have no interest in understanding that pregnancy is not a simple black & white situation. And that your true aim is to continue asserting authority over those people you deem to have strayed from a path you view as acceptable. Actually, my point still stands and it is not to your “absolute knowledge”. Unless you have been engaging in utter dominion over the person or people with whom you’ve had sexual encounters.

@Felicity Hensen:

I’m afraid Felicity, it is a black and white issue. It is that simple, if you don’t want to be pregnant, don’t get pregnant.

Using over the top language doesn’t make your argument any more powerful or coherent. You are just repeating nonsense.

@John003: My position on abortion is not the same as SFs position, hence my comment.

@The Risen: selective

@Darren Bates: “Anti-choicers”, “bible bashers”. Sounds like a bit of open mindedness would do yourself some good also

@Deborah Behan: Deborah, I personally think that it’s unworkable. Now that 3 SF TDs have heard as much from many different contributors at the committee, I’m hoping they will articulate that to others in their party and move to support the recommendation for 12 weeks unrestricted access.