Members of the All Party Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group have called on the Government to establish a dedicated taskforce to tackle what they describe as an “alarming increase” in coercive abortion cases in recent times.
The call follows a number of recent court cases in which men were jailed for violent attacks on their partners, with courts hearing that forcing women to take abortion pills formed a core element of the abuse. The lawmakers described this pattern as “deeply troubling” and said “the Government cannot continue to ignore the warning signs.”
The statement calling for the special taskforce was issued on Wednesday by Independent TD Carol Nolan, Independent Senator Sharon Keogan and Senator Sarah O’Reilly of Aontú. It follows the recent spate of court cases involving coercive abortion, including the sentencing in Letterkenny Circuit Court of a man in his 20s to nine years in prison for coercing a woman to ingest abortion pills against her will, before locking her in a room and threatening violence if she did not comply.
Commenting on the large increase in coercive abortion cases, Deputy Nolan said: “We need to confront the reality of forced abortion and recognise that its impact likely extends far beyond the cases that have received publicity to date. The Government cannot continue to ignore the warning signs. It needs to take urgent action to address the situation and consult widely to find the best way forward.”
Senator Keogan said: “All the coercive abortion cases that have come to light to date raise wider systemic concerns about whether any thought has been given to investigating the possible links to telemedicine abortion. When women do not have a face-to-face consultation with a doctor prior to getting the abortion pills, there is a higher risk that forced abortions could go undetected. Related to these concerns is the question: how did the men get access to the abortion pills? We know from the recent Letterkenny case that the convicted man sourced them from a pharmacy in Dublin. How did he manage to do so? We need answers to these questions.”
Senator O’Reilly said: “The Government refuses to scrutinise the current abortion system and as a result they are failing women right across this country. They need to listen to all voices when it comes to legislating for abortion, not just pro-abortion activists who typically receive greater platforming. The Government needs to establish a truly independent taskforce to investigate this issue without delay. We are calling today for the immediate creation of such a body, with a clear mandate and genuine independence.”
I am a Catholic. A government which allows abortion is Godless. Coercive abortion is a denial of not only the baby’s right to life but also a deliberate denial of a mothet’s right and wish to have her baby.
Abortion is always violence. Whether its a pill, a dismemberment or being beaten to induce abortion. Abortion is a death sentence on the innocent and has no place in a just or humane society. Aborting the pre born is not an solution for adult problems.
Go n-éirí libhh.
I’m with you the whole way.
Eilís Mulroy has a scathing article on Micheál Martin saying ‘his calm leadership masks a stark record on abortion’.
A lot of TDS are Catholic but still supported the last referendum!!! Surely most right thinking people can see that abortion is murder!! The baby doesn’t stand a chance!
We lose the moral argument by continuing to be mealy mouthed about our supportiveness (or lack of it) post partum. Please, less boasting about our Catholicism and more evidence that we are actually practising it! Up to reacently, I saw haggard women, dressed from charity shops, eking out an existence in the old Donnybrook laundry. Where were we for these women and their children… only a few years ago? (I suspect they’re all dead now.) If there’s one thing worse than the evils of abortion, it’s neglecting the born, and their mothers, when abortion has been mercifully avoided.
I couldn’t agree more and now there is a campaign on to give compassion leave to women who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth so let’s give compassion to all women and support them Our lives are the most precious gifts that each and everyone is given so women who have abortions need the same care and support
Bavo ladies! Well done
Abortion is always wrong and always involves killing an unborn baby,it’s doubly wrong when a woman is forced into taking the life of her unborn baby. I just can’t believe that Ireland has come to this and that abortion is now treated as healthcare.