Abortion

I have recently come around to supporting women to be able to get an abortion if they choose.

I have always been "pro-life" and while I was in favour of bringing in the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act in 2013 at the time and have always (as long as I have known about it) been in favour of amending the 8th Amendment I was up until recently always in favour of Ireland having a more limited abortion regime and not like the US and UK.

I've come to learn though that making the decision to have an abortion is a serious decision for (most anyway) women and that if a woman thinks that she is not mentally strong enough to have a baby that she should be able to have an abortion if she wants. Only a small minority of pregnant women would be at real risk of suicide if they follow through on a pregnancy but a lot of women do not feel mentally strong enough to go through with pregnancy at times in their lives even if they would not be at risk of suicide.

I know what the "pro-life" side is like, because I was again "pro-life" up until recently although I never got involved in any formal campaigning.

"Abortion on demand" is the term that really gets at "pro-life" people because (through lack of thinking/thinking enough about the pregnant woman as opposed to the foetus) they have a tendency or inclination to think that most/a lot of women are blase about being pregnant and having an abortion.

Some women may be blase about having an abortion, but most women who have had an abortion are everyday women who take the decision seriously.

I don't want to get involved hugely in this debate though. What also helped reorient me on this issue is I believe the extreme hypocrisy of the vast majority - not all - of pro-life people.