Over 85 percent of Irish people support limited abortion

"Over 85 percent of Irish people support limited abortion". Last time I checked, there was no such thing as a limited abortion.

Rebelforce -- I have a theory that no matter what an article is about, some fool will start a rant on immigration. Thanks for proving me right.

The same tired arguments were used everywhere else where abortion was made legal, and all were mostly lies. If you look to see who benefits, you get the true picture of who wishes to legalize the procedure. Do women or girls benefit from abortion? NO! Many are harmed. Do children benfit from abortion? NO! In the US one third of a generation has been aborted, and the survivors benefit on no way. Does crime decrease? NO! Does the out of wedlock birthrate drop? NO! Does poverty decrease? NO! In fact the only persons who benefit from abortion are the abortionists themselves. They make money hand over fist, treat their 'patients' like trash, are immune from standard medical standards. Don't women, children and Ireland deserve better than that. Don't follow the rest of us down the path to perdition. Just say no to abortion.

To Adrienrain. You state clearly that Mrs. Halappanavar was "allowed to die in pain because Ireland is "a Catholic country". This is supposition on your part that Mr. Halappanavar is telling the truth when he states that he was told this by the medical team in Galway hospital. I am of course not saying that Mr. Halappanavar is not being truthful, but I AM saying that neither you nor I know if indeed he is being truthful. Mr. Halappanavar has decided not to take part in an Irish inquiry. He and his legal team have stated that the medical records belong to HIM and it is illegal for others to view them in any investigation without his permission. He held the Irish state to ransom by giving it an ultimatum - "Public Inquiry within three days or I go to the Human Rights in Europe". And now, that is exactly where he is going. In the meantime, Ireland's good name has been gratuitously debased by Mr. Halappanavar ("I do not trust the Irish Health Service Executive") also by his supporters and also by Ireland's left wing liberal media. The agenda is, without a doubt, a push for abortion on demand, and this agenda is being pushed hard on a false premise, the premise that Mrs. Halappanavar died because she was denied an abortion. This premise is now agreed by virtually all (if indeed not all) of the experts as being a false premise. Now, to get back to your claim about Ireland's being a "Catholic country" being to blame for the death, only an inquiry will give us both sides of the story. The Irish authorities are holding an inquiry, comprised of totally independent members, but Mr. Halappanavar is not going to take part. Therefore, his claim of being told that his tragic wife was not allowed an abortion "because Ireland is a Catholic country" cannot now be tested directly to him. I know we are all different, but if it were MY wife, I would go along to the Inquiry. He can still seek a public inquiry - which is what he wants - after that.

The Irish Supreme Court recognized suicide attempts as a reason for abortion in the X case. Let's remember that two of the 3 difficult cases before the Court on abortion issues were cases of pregnant CHILDREN-- 13 and 14 years old. Child pregnancy is not decreasing, but likely to increase as children enter puberty earlier (age 7 for some girls). A pregnant child is by definition a rape victim, and often the rape is incestuous. So it's not only thew lives of pregnant women at stake, but the lives, health, and developing minds of children, for whom pregnancy is always harmful to health and often life-threatening with fetuses at high risk of genetic anomalies. I will never comprehend how someone can justify withholding abortion from a pregnant pre-teen and forcing her to try to bring the pregnancy to term. Does such a person consider girls to be throw-away children?

As I understand it, Savita was eligible for an abortion under current Irish law. What she was NOT permitted was the power to make the decision herself. Limited abortion inevitably means that the decision will be in someone else's jurisdiction than the woman. Savita could have had the abortion under current Irish law, and she wanted one, and she should have had one - no one thought the fetus's life could be saved - but the decision wasn't hers to make under Irish law, and those who had the power over her were not moved by her pain or her need or the fact that the fetus was certain to die. She was permitted to die in pain because Ireland is 'a Catholic country' and her life was simply not as valuable as the dying fetus's life. In the name of the Father, the Son and Patriarchy................. Ah, men.

Let women decide for themselves how they want to handle reproductive issues. They are well capable of making those choices without intrusion. If they want advice or counsel then they should have that available but not forced in any way. The suicide issue is not abortion related in general but should be handled with the utmost sensitivity. People with mental challenges who are considering suicide regardless of the situation should of course get the very best of help. But is a person is competent then the choice of abortion should be theirs alone. Here in Canada women have the absolute right to choose and the vast majority of women have no difficulty making the best choices for their particular situation. The state, the church and those who would control choice should have more respect for women in general.

Good response GavinE!

The "suicide" threat, while worrying does not require abortion(even in it's limited application) to resolve it, which even two psychologists or psychiatrists may never agree on in terms of resolution. Often "suicidal" tendencies can be treated successfully by experienced and competent counselors and this rush to favor abortion can cause more problems than it can resolve. In fact, the pro-abort/pro-choice lobby groups will never speak of the devastating psychological effects of abortion on women and would prefer that it remains hidden. The genuine solution to medical emergencies that arise during pregnancy is the application of the best available treatment to save the life of the mother and baby(with both lives held in equal respect).

To Billie061, I am not discussing individual cases. I simply said that in those countries where they allow abortion because of a threat of suicide, the abortion rate has skyrocketted. That is a fact and I simply repeated it. Sixty five per cent of those surveyed in Ireland agree with ME on this.

What are you suggesting Rose528? You are aware that 50% of unborn babies turn out to be male. Are you saying they don't have any rights, because their mother is a woman? That's some brain you have there! Not!

Niall - I did NOT say that the article is "inaccurate"; I said it is "unbalanced". Stop trying to twist, Niall! I also went on to explain why I considered it to be unbalanced (not "inaccurate") and I consider that any reasonable person will see my point. Perhaps, instead of a one-liner attempt at a put-down, you might be better employed trying to justify why you buried the main discussion point in Ireland at the moment, which is with regard to the suicide threat. I am one of the 85% who is in favour of abortion in limited circumstances, but that (along with the rest of the 65%) does not include the suicide threat. Again, stop trying to twist, Niall!

I hope it happens and soon, men have no rights in this decision. When a man can birth a child then he has a say.

Don't know what the opinions and circumstances in Ireland currently are on this subject, but it is rough and even a sad day when (with shades of William Randolph Hearst) the publisher of the newspaper decides to weigh in against a reader and proclaim his newspaper's article to be accurate while demeaning the reader's opinion. Perhaps the Internet and its freedom of communication is not the place for this journal if the publisher is offended by reader comments.

Abortion definitely should be promoted and encouraged in Ireland. This will help make more room in Ireland for future immigrants from Poland, Nigeria and India.