Thursday 16 May 2013

Enda Kenny: The constitution made me do it.


Here below is the note I received from Sean Kyne T.D (member of parliament) the local lobby fodder for the party led by Kermit Kenny. It is notable for its mastery of Truth Speak and obfuscation. A bill for instance called Protection of Maternal Life is in fact about providing abortion in what is claimed to be limited circumstances. The objection to it is that it offers abortion in the case of suicidal intent where that seems a genuine intent and abortion would be a cure for it. How is this to be assessed? By two psychiatrists and an obstetrician. The scenario of expert coaching to present the correct clinical picture suggests itself. How could you expect a psychiatrist to take the risk of being wrong? Pro abortion groups will be on the look out for women who might be prepared to flout the intention of the constitution. A sort of suicide mission will be devised.

Sean Kyne will receive my answer at the ballot box at the next election. Brian Walsh (F.G.) if he sticks to his position and defies the whip will do well. I expect Eamon O’Cuiv and the Fianna Fail party to do well. This is a voting issue.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||


Subject:
Re: Abortion Bill
From:
Sean Kyne
Date:
14/05/13 11:14
To:

Dear

Thank you for your email on this matter. Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I’m certain you’ll appreciate that I’ve received a great deal of correspondence on this issue alone, along with correspondence on all the other various issues.

Shortly after the last election I began to receive correspondence on the issue of abortion. I made abundantly clear to everyone who contacted me, irrespective of their views, that the Constitution and the decisions of the Supreme Court must be respected at all times. This is not only based on Articles 6 and 34.4.6 of the Bunreacht but also on the fact that respect for the Constitution and the legal process is what marks us out as a democracy.

This is an issue on which very strong and disparate views are sincerely held. However, I think all citizens expect and rightly demand that pregnant women receive all necessary medical treatment.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill will bring clarity, certainty and safety to both women and medical personnel. It will, in effect, codify the law as it already exists since the 1992 Supreme Court decision – a decision that was made within the parameters of the earlier 1983 Constitutional Amendment.

This legislation deals with the situation where there is a significant threat to the life of an expectant mother, and there is no alternative except for a medical intervention. It also recognises the extremely rare cases of suicidal intent on the part of the expectant mother and proposes a rigorous but fair system of assessment. It’s important to remember that the rigorous assessment is necessary because of the Constitution which provides equal protection to the lives of both mother and unborn child.

From this Friday, for three days, the Oireachtas Health Committee will hold a series of hearings on the Heads of the Legislation. This will again provide a forum for examination and respectful debate in advance of the debate which will accompany the passage of the legislation through the Oireachtas over the next two months.

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Seán
Seán Kyne TD




6 comments:

elisa freschi said...

A further question: What is the actual situation in Ireland? Is abortion never legal, no matter what the risk for the mother's life may be? Or is it legal in case of physical, but not of psychological risks? (The Wikipedia page did not help me enough, sorry!)

ombhurbhuva said...

Hi Elisa,
The situation as it stands now is that double effect abortion is allowable i.e. in the case where the treatment of a medical condition has as its side effect the death of the foetus. What is worrying a lot of people is that this threat to the life of the mother has been expanded to include suicidal intent. It is proposed to make this a grounds for legal abortion. This pressure is coming from the left wing/socialist element in the ruling coalition and did not form any part of the program for government when the dominant conservative party were running for election. In fact they pledged not to bring in abortion legislation. Essentially the tail is wagging the dog.

As usual committees and discussion groups were specially selected to present a one sided picture i.e. that favoured pro-’choice’. Now we are faced with legal abortion on the grounds of suicidal intent right up to viability and beyond. This is an appalling vista. This is akin to the Kermit Gosnell case from which I have taken the soubriquet ‘Kermit’ for the leader of the main party in coalition. Thus Kermit Kenny.

Vidya said...

It is quite surprising that even after the events that transpired after the death of Savita Halappanavar, there seems to be very little introspection on the practical ramifications of this issue and more and more room is added for fuzziness and errors in judgement. But then, I have never understood why marriages and childbirths are issues Governments need to have a concern with. It was a revelation to me during that unfortunate death in Ireland as to how majority religious beliefs affects lawmaking (and imposed on minority rights) in many societies.


ombhurbhuva said...

Hi Vidya,
You may not be aware that Ireland has a very low rate of maternal death, lower for instance than America. Savita's death was exploited by pro-abortion activists who systematically controlled the news coverage. However when there was a lengthy inquest with much expert testimony what emerged was that there were faults in the conveying of information and the monitoring of her rapidly changing situation. Her septicemia was of a very rare and virulent sort that is unfortunately becoming more common and is the greatest cause of maternal death in Britain. The verdict was one of medical misadventure. Yes of course if she had had an abortion immediately this sepsis would not have occurred but if ordinary procedures that are legal and normally bring excellent outcomes were followed then the medical staff can only be blamed if they are not followed. It seems there were lapses and new systems are being put in place to avoid a recurrence.

About minority faiths, is not abortion against the tenets of the Dharma Sastras?

skholiast said...

I have not kept up on current proposals in Irish law. For a minute I misunderstood the "suicidal intent" you mention to refer to the notion of a pregnant woman intending to end her own life by carrying to term a life-threatening pregnancy. I assume that what is actually at stake here is the notion that a pregnant women might be held to be a threat to herself if she is, ahem, "forced" to carry the child to term. I have to admit, this is a brilliant legislative maneuver.

ombhurbhuva said...

Skholiast:
The intent is of course to subvert the spirit of the constitution which the people have voted on in referenda. Because of a flawed judgment in the Supreme Court 10 years ago what is called ‘suicidality’ has become a device to bring legal abortion, state sponsored abortion to this country. What is an exceptionally rare occurrence, figures proffered range from 1 in 250,000 to 1 in 500,000 live births will become a possible avenue to gain a legal abortion. Very depressing prospect as it will certainly be exploited by militant pro-abortion groups. As in the U.S. this is a never ending battle. At some point the panel of 2 psychiatrists and one obstetrician will refuse an abortion on this basis and a woman will go on to kill herself. To a degree it is sending the message to women in crisis pregnancies that this is a valid response and also to young men who are killing themselves at a very high rate.