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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Irish government and Catholic hierarchy need to disavow reasons for death of pregnant woman -- Will they stand up and be counted on wrong application of Catholic doctrine?

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Irish government and Catholic hierarchy need to disavow reasons for death of pregnant woman -- Will they stand up and be counted on wrong application of Catholic doctrine?

Posted on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 07:29 AM

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Towngate | Nov 17, 2012, 01:50 PM EST

Farmer Brown complains to a famous US President: "We don't get enough money for our milk!" - "Y'know, Sir, you are absolutely right!". ~ Grocer Green comes in: " We are paying the farmers too much for their milk!" - "Y'know, Sir, you are absolutely right!". ~ Presidents wife comes in: "Franklin! - You can't agree with two people with opposing opinions!" - Y'know,darlin' you're absolutely right!"

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leahkinsella | Nov 17, 2012, 01:34 PM EST

As a woman and lawyer, I am now very afraid for other pregnant woman in Ireland because the X case has not been legislated for due to six previous governments' cowardice in dealing with the problem thus leaving the medical profession in limbo afraid that if they make the wrong decision they will be open to being charged with penal servitude for life. This is a terribe position for Irish women and doctors to be in. Legislation for the Irish Constitution will not bring abortion on demand only save the life and health of the mother and baby. The same people who objected to"contraception and divorce" in Ireland in in case it opened the floodgates were proved wrong. It's time the politicans face the problem head on and listened to the Irish people. It won't go away this time. BTW thousands of people marched in protest and in memory of Savita all around Ireland tonight and as I write more people are coming our on to the streets. Listen to them.

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WoundedKnee | Nov 17, 2012, 01:08 PM EST

gobdawpaddy--If you're not able to substantiate your lies, why not retract them and apologize? Attacking me for challenging you and your slurs is just infantile, and certainly won't shut me up. In this case you lied about the event you described. You're right--I won't let you get away with slurs and slanders. Stop making them.

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eiriamach | Nov 17, 2012, 11:00 AM EST

When a man gives his opinion, he's a man; when a woman gives hers, she's a "hateful rag-bag," to paraphrase Betty Davis. Towngate, you show your fear of women in babbling about loving them "to bits." If you had a shred of real respect for women, you'd be able to converse with us as the fully human beings we are. But as long as you indulge in ridiculous generalizations like "a gaggle of hysterical crones who blame the Men of the world...." you are safe from our ever trying to converse with you, I assure you.

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Towngate | Nov 17, 2012, 10:28 AM EST

eiramach: I can't speak for your other 'targets', but I do not understand how criticising a gaggle of hysterical crones who blame the Men of the world for their own poor judgement,lack of moral fibre and self-control, makes me a misogynist! Ridiculous!! ~~~ All females outside this hateful rag-bag are glorious,intelligent. dutiful and beautiful and I love them all to bits! ..... Dare I ask: which group are you in,dear?

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eiriamach | Nov 17, 2012, 09:36 AM EST

Savita's case was a barbaric failure in an mostly civilized country. Women are outraged, and rightly so. It's a further outrage to see the known fanatics taking this occasion to rant about critics of their Church, to attack the Indian govt, and to smear human rights activists! There is no educating inveterate misogynists like Gearoid, hermitTalker, Towngate, and Woundedknee about barbaric treatment of women in Ireland or elsewhere. One lashes out at "leftists who select what they are outraged about and bash Momma Church," and another pre-empts protestors as ready to "use this death as an insidious excuse to introduce pro-abortion legislation." Before legalizing life-saving abortion procedures, women will need to do much finger-pointing at woman-haters like these, who arrogantly claim the right to decide who will live and who will die. They call their institution "Momma"; they are nonetheless male! Respect for the human rights of pregnant women is coming to Ireland because such men make their contempt for women's rights so transparent that it's impossible to believe they respect any "life" except their own.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 17, 2012, 06:21 AM EST

(pressed transmit B4 I was finished) I have been very supportive of Ireland for decades, assisting Irish people seeking legal employment in the United States and liasing with a few companies based here, interested in establishing operations in Ireland. I am delighted at the good press Ireland has been receiving recently (not withstanding the global coverage on this current unfortunate tragedy). This suggests to me WK that you may be a person with issues, a cyber bully with few friends, who sits in a lonely dark room online to discussion forums, spitting venom at the screen, attacking anybody with a differing opinion to yours. After attacking my contribution you next go after Niall O'Dowd. Perhaps YOU should run for 'gods position' as it would appear that you think you know it all. I believe it was David McWilliams on George Hook's radio show some time ago that suggested that people like you should be ignored and the targets of name calling and childish drivel should not be drawn into the fray. On this occasion, I obviously ignored David's advice, but perhaps others might be guided by it in future.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 17, 2012, 05:45 AM EST

WK, I am neither anti-Irish nor a liar, I am definitely not a fool. In my post I quoted an article (actually 3) from one of the principal Irish daily newspaers.

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misneac | Nov 16, 2012, 10:12 PM EST

When it suits your agenda Ireland is not any more a "CATHOLIC "country .Now when a tragedy has occurred we are a "Catholic country ! You talk about the " Church " , what Church ? There are many churches in Ireland .The hysterical hypocrisy of the Indian media is amazing - a country with a hopeless rating in terms of womens rights and infant mortality . Only for the incredible work of a Catholic Albanian nun educated in Ireland countless millions in the slums of Calcutta would have died ! Somebody in India with any moral decency should now stand up and acknowledge that fact .It is a tragic irony also that the deceased lady was a dentist .I witnessed teeth being extracted on the sidewalk of Mumbai without benefit of "freezing " or instrument sterilization .Dont pontificate on standards ,religion or human rights !

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Kilsally | Nov 16, 2012, 02:47 PM EST

The law in Ireland, North and South provides for ab ortion to save the mothers life - it would seem to me the doctor didnt seem to think her life was in danger rather than something being wrong with the law

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WoundedKnee | Nov 16, 2012, 01:23 PM EST

O'Dowd was able to analyze this case and come to a conclusion. On the basis of a rigorous scrutiny of the medical evidence, analysis of the clinical reports, and testimony from the attending pysicians? NO WAY--O'Dowd doesn't need that kind of stupid evidence--he is able to make up his mind and come to a definitive verdict on the basis of the report of one phone call to a migrant worker in India. Forget about his obsessive Hillary for 2016, why not O'Dowd for God?

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WoundedKnee | Nov 16, 2012, 01:18 PM EST

gopbdawpaddy: Lie a lot of the anti-Irish posters here, you're a liar. I happened to investigate the case of that speaker, and I learned that she said that in her confusion and guilt after the birth of her specially challenged child that she thought the child was some kind of a punishment from God. What you don't say, because you're a GobdawLiar, is that she went on to say that she subsequently came to value the joy and wonder that the particular child brought into her life. Go peddle your lies elsewhere, you truly are a fool Gobdawpaddy.

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Towngate | Nov 16, 2012, 11:35 AM EST

Niall. This is a truly disgraceful Post. The Irish pulse you claim to have your finger on must be very faint indeed, as it is giving you false readings! ......... Don't be mislead by the - quick to jump on the Bandwagon rabble 'We want abortion on demand' mob - who only have to exercise a bit of self-control to avoid the need for it! ~~~~~~ There is ample provision in Irish Law for medically justified Termination in Ireland and I take great exception to your assertion that this case is a 'throwback to the bad old days when women's lives in childbirth were expendable'. Whoever told you that? ~ Before recent world-wide medical advancements, tragic childbirth deaths were certainly more common and unavoidable - but expectant mothers were NEVER "expendable"! How dare you!? Niall. I suggest you should learn a new pulse-taking technique; because the one you are now useing is leading to many false and dangerous mis-diagnosis.

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Towngate | Nov 16, 2012, 10:04 AM EST

Niall. This is a truly disgraceful Post. The Irish pulse you claim to have your finger on is very faint indeed. It is giving you false readings! ......... Don't be mislead by the rabble 'We want abortion on demand' mob who only have to exercise a bit of self-control to avoid the need for it! ~~~~~~ There is ample provision in Irish Law for medically justified Termination in Ireland and I take great exception to your assertion that this case is a 'throwback to the bad old days when women's lives in childbirth were expendable'. Who told you that? Before recent world-wide medical advancements, tragic childbirth deaths were certainly more common and unavoidable - but they were NEVER "expendable"! How dare you!? Niall. I suggest you should learn a new pulse-taking technique; because the one you are now useing is leading to many false and dangerous diagnosis.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 16, 2012, 09:58 AM EST

'If it sounds like a terrible plot from an Edna O’Brien novel from the 1950s then it is'. This terrible story reminds me of a situation I read about four weeks ago when a lay person giving a pro-life talk/presentation during sunday mass in a north Cork church, suggested that 'special needs children' were somehow 'punishment from god'. In the article there was no mention of anybody walking out in protest, or the priest intervening. Of course a few years back in a court room in Tralee, after a man was sentenced for rape, fifty plus people lined up to shake his hand, to commiserate with him before he was taken away. Martina Devlin refered in an Irish newspaper article on the Savita Halappanavar tragedy as 'a shameful occurrence in a State which lays claim to membership of the civilised world'. Ireland is in many ways still living in the dark ages and the tragic revelations this week will unfortunately tarnish it's image globally, an image that in very recent times, has for the most part been quite favorable.

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