Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry this morning voiced support
for the three Irish women challenging Ireland's abortion laws at the
European Court of Human Rights.
The three women - A,B and C - say that their health was put
at risk by being forced to go abroad for abortions. One of the women
ran the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, one received chemotherapy for
cancer and one had had her children placed in care as she was unable
to cope.
They argue that the current restrictions on abortion, as well as
a lack of post-abortion care and counselling, amounts to a violation
of their human rights.
Cllr Barry said today: "I think that these are three brave
women. I do not think that they should have to discuss the intimate
details of their lives in a foreign courtroom in order to win access
to abortion facilities in their own country when those facilities are
needed to protect their health. The failure of successive Governments
to legislate for abortion facilities to protect the health of Irish
women is simply not acceptable."
He added: "Abortion is an Irish reality and the State's decision
to force Irish women to go abroad for abortions endangers women's
health and discriminates against working class women. It endangers
women's health insofar as it increases the likelihood of late
abortions and puts women under further stress at a time of crisis. It
discriminates against working class women in the sense that it puts
women on lower incomes under massive financial pressure to go abroad
and spend more than a thousand euro."
