Women’s right to abortion and contraception under review
Abortion and contraception are at the centre of a debate in Ireland which could be a defining issue for the next government.
The Government has pledged to bring forward a law that will make abortion illegal, but it is also considering a measure that would require people to have counselling before having an abortion.
The issue has come under the spotlight in recent days, with the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, speaking in Dublin, saying that a new law to make abortion legal is “not something I would be going to support”.
The Taoiseaksean has previously said that he supports a woman’s right not to have an abortion but said that the Irish people would have to decide if they want to be a part of a system where they had to go through the same process as a man.
What we have to do is look at what is in the best interest of the child.
What’s in the child’s best interest is having the right to have a mother and father.
It’s about a man and a woman having a relationship that is in harmony with the needs of the biological child.
There are two different ways of going about it, and if you are going to do that you have to look at both ways of thinking about the child, said Enda, adding that he would be open to the idea of changing the law if it would help the child more.
He said that in Ireland women currently have the right not only to an abortion, but to contraception.
The Taoisesay said that if women had a right not have an unborn child, then women could go to a clinic and obtain a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy.
“If women have that right, then there is no reason why they should not be able to take care of themselves in that way,” said Endas statement.
Women’s rights Minister Michael Creedon said that women should be able “to make decisions for themselves”.
He added that it is “very important that women have access to contraceptive pills, and that is the responsibility of the Government”.
In his statement, Creedon also said that Ireland would continue to make “great strides” in the area of women’s rights.
“It is vital that the Government ensures that Ireland continues to progress towards the goal of achieving parity for women in society,” he said.
The statement follows a similar statement by Minister of State for Health Leo Varadkar who said that there is “no doubt” that women in Ireland have the legal right to decide whether or not to get an abortion or to have contraception.
“The Government will continue to pursue a legislative approach that respects women’s human rights and the right of every woman to make decisions regarding their reproductive health,” he added.
The Minister of Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, said that she believes that the abortion debate should be brought to the forefront.
“In Ireland, the legalisation of abortion is a controversial issue and the debate around it should be addressed by the Government,” she said.
“However, in my view, the debate should not interfere with our progress on improving the health of women in the country.”
The Government also said it would bring forward legislation on the right for women to have abortions.
The legislation would also introduce a new requirement for the Government to make the decision of abortion mandatory.
Minister for Health Frances Fitzgerald said the Government would bring forth a law which will make an abortion illegal.
What the Government has to do if you have a right to an unborn baby, is look to the best interests of the unborn child and you do not want to go into that area.
That is what I’m going to be focusing on.
We have the best opportunity to make sure that the decision to have the child is taken in a way that is compatible with the family, says Enda.
This is a very important issue for us to be able and willing to take forward and to be in a position where we can get the legislation that is right for Ireland in place, he added, adding: We’re all in a difficult situation.
The last thing we need to do now is look backwards to the past and say that the law of the land that we’ve had for the last 20 or 30 years was right.
I think we need a better law now.
It is a complicated issue.
The current situation, which I think is very concerning, I think if we are to have real progress we need better legislation.
Minister of Health Frances FitzSimons comments, as quoted by the Irish Times, The Minister for Social Protection, Endicott Molloy, has also said in his statement that the government will not be “passive” in this debate and that it will be a focus for the government to take up.
“I think it’s important to look forward.
It will be the focus of the Minister for Women’s Equality and Equal Opportunities and that will be my priority,” said Molloys.
“What we need is for the legislation to be the best that it can be and that means that we will look at a law with respect to the right in relation to abortion