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Abortion clinic in Belfast

  • 11-10-2012 4:39pm
    #1
    newmug
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,571 ✭✭✭


    Firstly, I'm not into CT's. I read a lot of them on here, and to say they stretch the boundaries of plausability would be an understatement. But one possibility crossed my mind today.

    Apparantely, the british govt. is opening an abortion clinic in Belfast. Coincidentally, the Irish govt. is considering bringing in new laws to legalise abortion here.

    Here's my hypothesis. Would it be possible that the Irish and british govt. are working together quietly on this? Or at least that the Irish govt. are purposely keeping quiet on the matter? James Reilly is bent on legalising abortion, and the FF opposition are happy to let him, because its a hot potato they dont want to touch. However, the electorate is divided on the issue and if Reilly openly legalises it, it might cost him politically, and he's already in enough trouble as it is. If a clinic opens in Belfast, it would be a much easier option for Irish women to unfortunately go ahead with an abortion, but without having the hassle of flights, excuses of where you were for a couple of days, costs, international medical documentation etc.

    So in short, are the two govts in cahoots with this abortion clinic in Belfast, is the Irish govt. just saying nothing on purpose, or is there no connection between the two whatsoever?

    Discuss.


Comments

  • #2
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    newmug wrote: »
    Firstly, I'm not into CT's. I read a lot of them on here, and to say they stretch the boundaries of plausability would be an understatement. But one possibility crossed my mind today.

    Apparantely, the british govt. is opening an abortion clinic in Belfast. Coincidentally, the Irish govt. is considering bringing in new laws to legalise abortion here.

    Here's my hypothesis. Would it be possible that the Irish and british govt. are working together quietly on this? Or at least that the Irish govt. are purposely keeping quiet on the matter? James Reilly is bent on legalising abortion, and the FF opposition are happy to let him, because its a hot potato they dont want to touch. However, the electorate is divided on the issue and if Reilly openly legalises it, it might cost him politically, and he's already in enough trouble as it is. If a clinic opens in Belfast, it would be a much easier option for Irish women to unfortunately go ahead with an abortion, but without having the hassle of flights, excuses of where you were for a couple of days, costs, international medical documentation etc.

    So in short, are the two govts in cahoots with this abortion clinic in Belfast, is the Irish govt. just saying nothing on purpose, or is there no connection between the two whatsoever?

    Discuss.

    Well, given that it's private abortion clinic (run by Marie Stopes, a "sexual health" charity) I'm unsure as how the British government factor into this.

    Certainly it would be handier from women in Ireland seeking medical procedures of that nature to go to Belfast than over to Great Britain - but I imagine there's also a considerable home grown demand for this in NI anyway, as they'd also have to travel.

    As for "keeping quiet" on the matter, I don't see what onus is on the Irish government to comment on what a private organisation does in the north, especially when it's legal (or apparently is, the Abortion Act 1967 seems to only be limited to the NHS and registered practitioners... i guess this won't apply to this particular clinic)


  • #3
    Corkfeen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,940 ✭✭✭Corkfeen


    To be honest, there is probably more of a conspiracy in terms of failing to legislate for Patient X over the course of twenty years, we've gone through numerous referendums but have failed to sort the required legislation. We're supposed to legislate; it's not a grand plan by a single minister, it was decided by the Irish public.

    The clinic in Belfast only does non surgical abortions at this point btw, this is for pregnancies that are 9 weeks or less. No doubt, you'll have people from the Republic utilising it but it's not as if Irish people haven't been availing of abortions in the UK. So no, the English government is not plotting with the Irish government. A private organisation simply recognised that the north was lacking in abortion services so are providing the service.


  • #4
    newmug
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,571 ✭✭✭newmug


    hooradiation wrote: »
    Well, given that it's private abortion clinic (run by Marie Stopes, a "sexual health" charity) I'm unsure as how the British government factor into this.

    Well its as simple as this, its going ahead. I use the term government broadly, but somebody had to green-light it.
    hooradiation wrote: »
    As for "keeping quiet" on the matter, I don't see what onus is on the Irish government to comment on what a private organisation does in the north, especially when it's legal (or apparently is, the Abortion Act 1967 seems to only be limited to the NHS and registered practitioners... i guess this won't apply to this particular clinic)

    Well with cross-border co-operation now a reality on a lot of things, it just seems that there isn't a peep out of the Irish govt. at all. They comment on everything from mundane stuff like tourism to top level stuff like re-unification, the Guards and the PSNI help each other out, there are various cross-border grant schemes etc., but with all the abortion debate going on here at the moment, suddenly there's an abortion clinic opening up an hours drive from Dublin, and nothing is said?

    Corkfeen wrote: »
    To be honest, there is probably more of a conspiracy in terms of failing to legislate for Patient X over the course of twenty years, we've gone through numerous referendums but have failed to sort the required legislation.

    I fully agree withthat part.
    Corkfeen wrote: »
    The clinic in Belfast only does non surgical abortions at this point btw, this is for pregnancies that are 9 weeks or less. No doubt, you'll have people from the Republic utilising it but it's not as if Irish people haven't been availing of abortions in the UK.

    Exactly. Handy for James Reilly wouldn't you think?

    Corkfeen wrote: »
    So no, the English government is not plotting with the Irish government. A private organisation simply recognised that the north was lacking in abortion services so are providing the service.

    I dont agree with that part. Maybe they're not plotting with each other, but with such a huge issue, to me the silence is deafening.


  • #5
    donegal_man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,935 ✭✭✭donegal_man


    What exactly does the OP believe our government should do? They can hardly complain about a perfectly legal service opening a branch in Belfast. I also doubt that it will be all that easy for anyone to access the clinic given the level of strident fundamentalism in NI


  • #6
    newmug
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,571 ✭✭✭newmug


    donegal_man wrote: »
    What exactly does the OP believe our government should do? They can hardly complain about a perfectly legal service opening a branch in Belfast. I also doubt that it will be all that easy for anyone to access the clinic given the level of strident fundamentalism in NI

    Discuss it in the Dail maybe? Have a show on Prime Time or Brown Vinny dedicated to it? Have an article on the news about it instead of articles about washed diesel plants being found?


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  • #7
    newmug
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,571 ✭✭✭newmug


    AHA!!!

    I knew I couldn't be the only one to notice this!

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=81206086&postcount=10


  • #8
    ArmaniJeanss
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,616 ✭✭✭✭ArmaniJeanss


    newmug wrote: »
    Discuss it in the Dail maybe? Have a show on Prime Time or Brown Vinny dedicated to it? Have an article on the news about it instead of articles about washed diesel plants being found?

    Again why? If a branch of Woolworths or Boots opens in another country its none of our business. Why does a new abortion clinic opening in another country merit any discussion in our Dail?


  • #9
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    newmug wrote: »
    Well its as simple as this, its going ahead. I use the term government broadly, but somebody had to green-light it.

    So broad as to be meaningless, really.

    newmug wrote: »
    Well with cross-border co-operation now a reality on a lot of things, it just seems that there isn't a peep out of the Irish govt. at all.

    And why should there be?
    I asked what onus there should be on the Irish Government to comment on this.
    Saying "they haven't commented! That's weird" doesn't answer the question.

    newmug wrote: »
    They comment on everything from mundane stuff like tourism to top level stuff like re-unification, the Guards and the PSNI help each other out, there are various cross-border grant schemes etc., but with all the abortion debate going on here at the moment, suddenly there's an abortion clinic opening up an hours drive from Dublin, and nothing is said?

    And again, WHY should they say anything?
    What reason or right to they have?

    As you say later "debate it in the Dail" - what do you imagine this will entail?


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