Abortion was finally legalised in Ireland in 2018. The anticipated repeal of the Eighth Amendment was received with happy tears and countless relieved Irish women. Hope was instilled in us for the future of women’s health nationwide. However, despite a forty-year fight, Ireland still clings to taboo connotations surrounding abortion today. People whisper its name, like a slur. But why? Abortion is legal now, so why are we still talking about it?
Well, the Social Democrats introduced a new bill which would aim to modernise the current abortion laws in Ireland this April. Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats, declared that “women are still being failed by a system that was meant to care for them”. Notably, she refers to the mandatory three-day waiting period for an abortion as “patronising and paternalistic”. This mandatory wait for abortion care has raised concerns for women ever since the passing of the bill. Abortion was meant to be a symbol of liberation in the female healthcare system, yet Ireland’s legislation has left women grappling with its restrictive terms and conditions. Ireland paints a picture of progressive politics, but the systemic misogyny established by the Catholic church lives on. Abortion is legal, but it’s not entirely accessible. A large number of Irish women still travel to the UK for abortion services annually. How dare we label our country progressive when we still exile our women during their time of need?
In response to Cairns’ proposal to make the three-day wait voluntary, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said it was “important that all voices are heard”. However, it seems that when male politicians refer to “all voices”, they really just want to listen to men. When a government is dominated by males, it is not shocking when women’s voices get buried. The truth is, if deciding upon the “maximum consensus” was truly the Taoiseach’s protocol when faced with the proposal, the suggested changes by Cairns would have been implemented by now. Women have been vouching in favour of these amendments for years now. However, the concerns of the vast majority have been minimised by loud male political opposition. TD Peter Roche’s recent outspokenness is a prime example of how male voices still dominate women’s issues today.
Peter Roche, a Fine Gael TD for Galway East, declared he is not in favour of the changes, adding decoratively that a three-day waiting period is no different from a typical hangover. He implies that those 72 hours are of minimal consequence to the women who have spoken up against the wait, emphasising that “we are talking about the life of a fetus”. But what about the life of a woman? It is jarring to read Peter Roche’s profile on the Fine Gael website, describing him as a strong mental health advocate, when he discards the wellbeing of struggling women at the blink of an eye. It’s all pro-mental health advocacy until it’s a woman reliving the moment she realised her partner removed his condom without her consent, and having to sit with the repercussions of his selfishness for 72 long, dreaded hours. Men will never know that feeling; they will never come close. The aftermath of one too many bottles of wine is not the equivalent.
It is not a reach to label the male opposition of Cairns as uneducated and patronising. Dr Suzanne Kelly, Deputy Medical Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), stated that there was no clinical necessity for a waiting period. Labour TD Marie Sherlock reacted with shock to the sheer boldness of Roche’s claim after his hearing of the medical evidence which backed the disposal of a mandatory wait. Ironically, women are still being labelled as the overly emotional sex in this conversation when certain male politicians have been proven to be driven by their pure astonishment that a woman does not want to, and does not have to, have a child. Female politicians have dealt with this conversation practically, emphasising the lack of medical need for a waiting period and leading the discussion towards logic and reason. Certain male politicians, like Aontú’s Peader Toibín, have reacted with outrage. He pontificated that there were over 10,000 abortions in Ireland in 2024. Are we meant to be appalled by this? Are we meant to be sad that over 10,000 women had the physical and legal agency to choose their own path after years of oppression by the Irish government? Decades on, it is appalling to see that Ireland still does not trust women to decide what they do with their own uteruses. It is shocking that instead of furthering the improvement of female healthcare, we give platforms to men in the conversation who would likely advocate not only for the continuation of the three-day wait but also for recriminalising abortion altogether.
Abortion is not a radical political statement; it is healthcare. It is not a crime; it does not require a three-day trial. In fact, it is no longer a debate. It is a fundamental right for women in this country, like any other procedure. So it should be treated like any other procedure — provided as soon as possible and as soon as desired by the individual. Many women are rightly concerned that there are participating members of government who are so oblivious to the facts of the situation. We allow men to sit in government seats without basic knowledge of the biological circumstances of half of the population. We allow them to prioritise the potential life of a fetus over the tangible wellbeing of their female counterparts. It is about time we shut down this debate and allow women to just do what they want with their bodies for once. Abortion is not a plague; it is a remedy.
