It did not come as a surprise to see that the Republic of Ireland voted to repeal their relatively strict abortion ban. What was disturbing was the large margin by which the vote passed and the zealous celebration that followed. On social media and in the news, Irish citizens celebrated the vote that legalized abortion with the kind of pure joy usually seen in victorious sporting events or at concerts — not the approval of murdering babies in utero. The culture of abortion from the U.S. and the United Kingdom has permeated Ireland — sadly, the idea of abortion as a victory of choice, which surpasses any kind of moral compass, is both a facade and a path toward a demoralized Ireland.
Clare Comran watched the count come in and viewed the vote as progress. “She had always hoped Ireland would make the ‘leap forward’ and had recently noticed a shift in national attitudes. The Irish people, she said, were ‘really ready to embrace progress and trust themselves.’”
Some people were more coy about their support of abortion, claiming instead they were simply applauding women’s choice.
With greatest respect, we weren’t celebrating abortion but joining Irish in celebrating their overwhelming vote to recognize women’s reproduction rights & a women’s right to choose.
As Taoiseach @campaignforleo said, “a quiet revolution has taken place, a great act of democracy” https://t.co/VKsqFKUZqO
— Catherine McKenna ?? (@cathmckenna) May 29, 2018
With greatest respect, abortion should be no more a woman’s choice than infanticide — would that too be applauded? Though the U.S. boasts Roe v. Wade, that does not make abortion a victory, moral or otherwise — only legal.
[Related: Iowa Republicans target Roe v. Wade with new abortion law]
Because abortion has been banned in Ireland so long, they have not seen up-close what such a law will do to the morale, culture, and politics of the country. To get a glimpse of what this reality looks like, they need only look at the U.S., which has been embroiled in a bitter battle between pro-life and pro-choice advocates now for decades.
Abortion laws have not only resulted in millions of dead babies but also have produced generations of women who have bought the lie that choice equals abortion and abortion equals happiness. While a select few participate in the propaganda of campaigns like Planned Parenthood’s #ShoutYourAbortion, the rest struggle with their mental and emotional health.
The women of Ireland will struggle with the same fate, and eventually wonder how they were gaslit into believing abortion would produce some kind of cultural freedom — in reality, it’s only a new kind of shackles.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
