I met with Napper Tandy, and he took me by the hand,.
And he said, "How's poor ould Ireland, and how does she stand?-.
She's the most disthressful country that iver yet was seen,.
For they're hangin' men an' women for the wearin' o' the Green. .
(The Wearin' o' The Green, 1795 ballad).
Good morning Mr Speaker and members of the Parliament. I am honoured to be hear today to express my grave concern for the most ominous humanitarian issue facing Northern Ireland today: abortion. Abortion in Northern Ireland is not just a simple issue; it is the shameful story of a democratic society that has not allowed women to access their fundamental human rights. Abortion in Northern Ireland is not a religious issue; it is a humanitarian issue about our social and moral obligations as humans to uphold equality, freedom of choice and all other rights to . Irish women, ladies and gentlemen have suffered and will continue to suffer severe consequences from the interference from government institutions in their personal choices. .
In our country it is unlawful for a woman to exercise her god given freedom of choice. Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland. Despite laws permitting abortion in the cases where a continued pregnancy poses a physical threat to the mother, in practice abortion remains unavailable in all situations because the law defining the circumstances under which a doctor may perform a life-saving abortion is so ambiguous. The current system deprives women of their ability to make decisions most appropriate to their experiences or within the context of their lives, impairing their equality before and under the law. The Irish Bill of Rights is an embarrassment. Any self-respecting human being would be ashamed of such tyranny imposed by an institution. In the bill of rights, there is a clear avoidance of idea that women should have rights over their bodies which suggests an avoidance of the broader idea that women are independent and responsible moral people equally deserving of protection of their dignity by law.
