Repealing the 8th - A guy's perspective

Ireland has come a long way, there's no other way to say it. From an impoverished state, nominally independent but actually little more than a lackey to the Roman Catholic Church, it has developed into a modern, pluralistic, and in many ways emancipated society. Great strides have been made, as last year's marriage referendum clearly shows that. However, much still needs to be done, for example in the education sector, where the church still gets its claws on unsuspecting young minds. However, at the moment, a bigger battlefield awaits, and that battlefield will be hotly contested. 

What the hell is that idiot blabbering about, you ask? Well, lets look at the Irish constitution. Article 40 of the constitution lays out the fundamental rights of all citizens or residents of the Republic of Ireland. Section 3 of this article reads as follows:

"The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees, in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right."

In theory, that doesn't sound too bad. However, in practice, this section, which was introduced into the Irish Constitution by the 8th Amendment in 1983 bans abortions in all its forms. The phrase "...with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother..." in effect means "with NO regard to the right to the right to life of the mother", as numerous tragedies over the course of history have shown, not least the tragic and entirely avoidable death of Savita Halappanavar back in 2012, shortly after I arrived in Ireland.

For years, a groundswell against the 8th Amendment has been building in Ireland, and yesterday, it swept into the streets of Dublin. 20.000 people marched in support of the "Repeal the 8th" campaign. The aim of this campaign is simple. Have the 8th Amendment removed from the constitution, and ensure that women can, if the need arises, have a safe abortion rather than having to flee the country as is currently the case. The government has already announced that it was taking steps in that regard, installing a "Citizens Assembly" to have a closer look at the 8th amendment, and what it could be replaced with. The "Repeal the 8th" campaign is having none of it, and is planning to keep up pressure on the government to ensure that they set up the referendum needed to get that amendment removed from the constitution.

I fully support their aim. Sure, abortion is a hefty subject to tackle, emotions are running high on both sides of the argument. Still, repealing the 8th amendment is the only logical step to take. Why do I think that way? I'm a man, after all, and I won't have to worry about getting pregnant, although I do admit that my beer belly may give a different impression ;) Levity aside, The case for me is pretty clear. I, as a man, simply do not have the RIGHT to tell a woman, any woman, what she should do with her body. And like it or not, until it's born, an embryo or a foetus is part of a woman's body. It is, quite frankly, an assortment of more or less specialised cells, and until a very late stage in a pregnancy, incapable of surviving on its own. 

Not that abortion is something to be embarked upon lightly, mind you. It is always a harrowing decision, and I fully support a full set of counselling measures that should be available before any decision is made to abort a pregnancy. In addition, no woman should ever be forced to have an abortion, by ANYONE. If you've managed, by your own carelessness or ignorance, to get your girlfriend pregnant, have the guts to stand up to what you did, and don't force your will onto your girlfriend. You owe her that much! So, any repeal of the 8th amendment must be coupled with a full set of legislative measures that ensure that women can make the decision safely and without exterior pressure, to ensure that they can control what is happening with their bodies.

After all, that's what it's all about: Control. That's what the 8th Amendment was all about in 1983, to ensure that women couldn't stray too far from the "traditional" role as birthing machine envisioned by the Roman Catholic Church. And that's what it still is about, just another attempt to control women and their bodies in a society where women are objectified, and vilified at every opportunity. They dress to skimpy, and they're called sluts, they cover up too much, they're considered prudes, if they choose to wear a headscarf, they're considered terrorists, and if they speak up and demand to be treated equally, they're considered bossy, bitchy, and ungrateful. Let's give them back control over their bodies at least. Repeal the 8th Amendment!