tretorn wrote: » Most people in Ireland do not support abortion
robindch wrote: » @tretorn - over to you.
A majority shareholder linked to the Spar supermarket chain in Northern Ireland has been caught promoting a strong anti-abortion agenda which is against any legal reforms in Northern Ireland, it has been revealed. In December 2018, Ardbarron Trust Ltd, a Christian Charitable Trust and majority shareholder in Henderson Group (which runs the Spar wholesale and retail grocery business in Northern Ireland), made a submission to the UK’s Government’s Women and Equalities Committee seeking to influence its decision making on Northern Ireland’s abortion laws. In its submission, Ardbarron Trust Ltd, wrote: ‘The law in NI, as it currently stands is pro-life and that is our deeply held conviction to protect unborn children. Life is God’s gift to us and we are thankful that the current legal framework in NI has protected many, estimated at 100,000 people alive today as a consequence.’ It goes on to say: ‘Devolution has protected the unborn as locally elected representatives made clear in February 2016… The number of abortions carried out in GB is staggering and often for social reasons only… We are glad that Northern Ireland is “out of step” with the rest of the UK and the wider world.’ Humanists UK, which campaigns for the legalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, said it was shocked by Ardbarron Trust Ltd’s submission and says the Northern Irish public deserved to know that Spar has links to an anti-abortion, anti-women’s rights agenda. Abortion law in Northern Ireland is one of the most restrictive in Europe and the criminal sanctions imposed are amongst the harshest in the world, with the maximum sentence being life imprisonment. Current restrictions force women to either travel to the UK to receive treatment, risk prosecution for procuring illegal online abortion pills, or continue their pregnancies against their wishes and in violation of their rights. There is no exception made for pregnancies that arise as a result of sexual crime or where there is a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. Humanists UK has also learned that Spar stocks Ashers Bakery products and that Ashers Bakery also made a submission to the Women and Equalities committee. Ashers Bakery made headlines after the famous ‘gay cake’ case where the Bakery refused to bake a cake with a slogan that supported same-sex marriage. Northern Ireland Humanists coordinator Boyd Sleator said: ‘It’s shocking that a majority shareholder in one of Northern Ireland’s biggest retail chains is making submissions about women’s reproductive rights to the UK Government, promoting views that are very harmful to the rights of women and totally counterproductive to the hard work being done to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland. ‘Spar in Northern Ireland, and across the UK, should make clear that it does not hold the same views as Spar in Northern Ireland’s majority shareholder, and take a strong stance by distancing themselves from these views and this company. ‘Employees, along with customers who shop there, deserve to know that this franchise has links to stopping progressive reforms of women’s rights in Northern Ireland. To press for something that the European Convention of Human Rights has specifically said is against people’s human rights is completely deplorable.’
Hotblack Desiato wrote: » Spar supermarket chain in Northern Ireland caught up in promotion of anti-abortion agenda
An_Toirpin wrote: » Great. Wonderful to hear Spar is pro women unlike the anti women Humanist Association. I will make sure to give Spar custom.
Calina wrote: » Being anti abortion is not being pro women.
Loafing Oaf wrote: » He knows that; he's just trying to get people's backs up.
aloyisious wrote: » Southern or Northern Spar branch?
Loafing Oaf wrote: » I predict that any protests at GP surgeries will be small-scale and sporadic and will quickly melt away as the protestors realize they're not making a blind bit of difference.
“We’re going around wondering, ‘are they planning something we’ve missed?’” said Mary Favier, a prominent pro-choice campaigner and GP who provides abortion services in Cork. “But we can’t see what it’s going to be.” Besides a fleeting protest in Galway – half a dozen people with placards picketed a surgery for a few hours – abortion has become available in 22 of Ireland’s 26 counties with barely any fuss.
Pherekydes wrote: » The anti-women Humanist association? I think that ranks up there with the most bizarre statements in A&A. On boards, even. It's in a special class of statements, like "fascist liberals", "atheism is a religion", "atheists believe in nothing", "feminists are really anti-women" and so on. And that's where I stop. I don't want a ban. :rolleyes:
An_Toirpin wrote: » Humanism is pro women but what this group espouses isn't humanist. It's a sop to moral relativism.
King Mob wrote: » Please explain, using evidence and examples, how the Humanist Association is anti-women. Please explain how being against the availability of abortion is anything other than anti-women. Please supply some support for this conclusion. Please go back and address the previous points you have ignored before jumping into a new point.
King Mob wrote: » Opposing the availability of abortion is inherently anti women. You and your friends have show time and time again that you put women's rights far behind things like the right to conscientious objection or the right to trick people into coming to your anti-abortion counseling service. In what way is the Humanist Association anti-women? Please also provide evidence for this, as we will not believe your unsupported claims. Also, any chance you'll be going back to address the points I made to you and the questions you ignored?
An_Toirpin wrote: » I never ignored your points.
An_Toirpin wrote: » Being feminist means being for everyone. Abortion strips some of rights. You disagree which is fair enough but only because you're othering a marginalized group.
Please explain how being against the availability of abortion is anything other than anti-women. Please supply some support for this conclusion.
end of the road wrote: » i believe it is, as a fundamental women's right is to be born, to grow and to exist and be part of society on an equal footing. abortion kills unborn women. no women's rights are being put behind anything by us by being anti-AOD. by being anti-AOD we are actually trying to promote women's rights as we believe unborn women have a right not to be killed so they can be born and live to their full potential and be part of society. AOD is only an allowence that can be taken away by a government with no real consiquence if such is needed. whatever about being anti-women, the humanist association are not very humanist given they are okay with unborn human beings being killed for absolutely any reason. i'm very prowd to be against AOD and to be for actual women's rights. suggesting that AOD is a woman's right is in my view an insult to the genuine struggles of women.
end of the road wrote: » no women's rights...
end of the road wrote: » i believe it is, as a fundamental women's right is to be born, to grow and to exist and be part of society on an equal footing. abortion kills unborn women.
An_Toirpin wrote: » I never ignored your points. Being feminist means being for everyone. Abortion strips some of rights. You disagree which is fair enough but only because you're othering a marginalized group.
splinter65 wrote: » Interesting observation I’ve made. When the SSM victory happened there were a couple of weeks of sporadic continuing argument on here and other SM but basically what happened in the main is that the pro SSM groups were satisfied with the victory, enjoyed celebrating and moved on with their lives ignoring and leaving the anti SSMs to mutter and gripe amongst themselves for a while, but in reality the conversation was over forever and it’s rarely mentioned anymore. 8 months after the abortion referendum the row rages not just unabated but in some cases with further and added nastiness and mudslinging on both sides. Why’s this then?
uptherebels wrote: » Still waiting on your alternative to 12 weeks for victims of rape! Anytime your ready.
Pherekydes wrote: » There is no right to be born. An embryo is not a woman.
eviltwin wrote: » Really scraping the barrel now with this reasoning, it's pure desperate
Igotadose wrote: » The mudslinging only comes from the anti-choice side, and they're being egged on by the RCC and the US anti-abortion industry. No surprises, this will keep on forever, the anti-women groups are relentless.
eviltwin wrote: » I'd say it's due to lack of clarity about what repealing the 8th actually meant. With SSM it was very simple but with abortion, we've had months of debate about what abortion here would entail. I do remember when gay couples actually started happening a bit of grumbling for a week or two, now I'd imagine that this will continue as long as we have abortion but I don't see protests being a long term thing. There is also potential to expand abortion here which wasn't the case with ssm, that has to be a factor.
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