Irish actor Cillian Murphy has said that Ireland with “no abortion” was “like the f**king dark ages compared to now.” He made his remarks in an interview printed in last Saturday’s Irish Times.
Given how utterly predictable some sections of the media have become, the Oscar winner was never in any danger of receiving the slightest pushback or questioning from journalists for his throwaway comments. Instead, remarks like the ones he made are treated with the utmost reverence and respect, akin to the incurious and unquestioning period in our history that they rail against so hard. The absurdity of all this appears to be completely lost on them.
When Murphy links the time when no abortions happened in Ireland to the dark ages, presumably he regards the new abortion regime here as a model of enlightenment and compassion. One wonders what he thinks of the 2020 study from his hometown, conducted by UCC researchers (published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) which revealed that under the new abortion law unborn babies have survived late-term abortions and have been left to die alone unaided? Or does it concern him that a recent article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics states that there is now compelling evidence that unborn babies may have the capacity to feel pain as early as 12 weeks gestation, with a large body of evidence indicating for years that unborn babies can feel pain from 20 weeks or earlier.
If someone is prepared to tie no abortion in Ireland to the dark ages, they should be prepared to answer straightforward questions like the ones above. And if journalism in Ireland had any integrity or interest in truth telling, people like Cillian Murphy would be asked some pressing follow-on questions when they make outlandish claims.