Ireland: ‘My mother tried to abort me but I am still pro-choice’

Broadside: ‘It would have been much better for my mum’s mental and physical health if she had had the abortion,’ says Maria

Mon, Aug 29, 2016, 01:00
Emer O'Toole, The Irish Times

Those of us involved in the fight to win reproductive rights for Irish women are familiar with the term “abortion survivor”. This refers to an anti-choice advocate who claims to have been born following an unsuccessful abortion. Smiling pictures of these people are trotted out alongside quotes about being “saved by the sheer power of Jesus”. The existence of such Bible-thumpers is supposed to act as proof that women shouldn’t have abortion rights.

I have a good friend whose life is the result of a failed abortion: an accomplished scientist, and a warm, witty, life-affirming person. She is also firmly pro-choice. Like me, she’s from a country where women do not have abortion rights. She generously agreed to share her story. Due to potential repercussions in her community, she must remain anonymous.

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Source: Irish Times