Abortion
remains one of the most contentious and divisive social issues in Northern
Ireland. Those on either side of the argument seek an absolute answer in line
with their thinking. Even those seeking the middle ground find themselves
attacked from either side. Decisions taken in Parliament and the High Court
mean that change is coming. Absolutes on either side will not define the
future.
Thirty years
ago I worked for the ambulance service. One evening while on duty we received a
call to a house where someone was reported to have attempted suicide. When we
arrived at the scene I went to the door, we had been given few details. The
door was answered by a young woman in her late 20s early 30s dressed in a
business suit and holding a glass of white wine. She was upset that we had come
to the house and she asked us to leave. It was clear from the empty packets of
prescription medicine on the coffee table that she had taken an overdose. She
had telephoned a friend in England to tell her what she had done, her friend
had phoned for the ambulance. She refused to go to the hospital. At that time
we carried blue cards which if a patient refused treatment they would sign and
we would leave. I declined to give her a card to sign, I was concerned that the
overdose she had taken would be fatal. She stated again that she would not go
to hospital if asked, I accepted her point and advised her that at a point she
would be unconscious, she would be incapable of refusing treatment and I would
take her to hospital. I told her that she would not die that evening and the
only thing we were discussing was how ill she was going to be by the time I got
her to a doctor. Her mood changed and while she still refused to go to hospital
she started to answer questions about what had happened. She had started with a
glass of wine and became upset because she had recently had an abortion, the
more upset she got the more wine she drank until she convinced herself to take
an overdose. The decision to have an abortion wasn’t an easy one but she had no
one to talk to, it was not something that anyone in Northern Ireland talked
about. She had a professional career and the choice was simple her career or a
family, there was for her at that time no alternative. As the overdose took
effect she realised that one way or another she was going to hospital and after
I assured her that she would get the help she needed she agreed to go to
hospital.
The young
woman’s experience has been repeated many thousands of times since then. Her
story is as relevant to today’s discussions as many thousands of other
experiences.
Thirty years
ago woman from Northern Ireland travelled to England to have abortions, they
still travel. While those who support a pro-life message argue that abortion
does not happen in Northern Ireland the reality is that for those who have the
resources having an abortion is a choice they are prepared to make. The
decision at Westminster to remove the limits on abortion in Northern Ireland
was taken because of a failure of the Stormont administration to consider any
legislation. So polarised is our society on this issue that any discussion
which involves either side moving from their absolute beliefs is deemed
erroneous. In truth the final position will not satisfy either side of the
argument but there must be some attempt at addressing the concerns of both
sides, there must be some attempt to find common ground on which both sides can
agree.
The young
woman I took to hospital had been faced with a choice her career or having a
family. It is not uncommon for a young woman to still face this decision.
Recently it was reported that a young woman was awarded £28,000 as she was
discriminated against for being pregnant. A simple Internet search for stories
about woman being discriminated against in the workplace because they become
pregnant provides a litany of examples. These are only the ones where woman
take legal action, in how many other cases do woman feel pressurised to have an
abortion. This is compounded by research findings which show one in eight
companies are reluctant to hire women who may become pregnant. (1) Recently,
when discussing promotions within a public sector organisation a senior
executive advised me that while I thought a member of staff was very good at
her job she was actually unreliable. Having never witnessed anything which
called into question that staff member’s reliability I asked what was the
problem. The answer was that while she was good she was always off having
babies. The fact that society continues to force women to choose between a
career and family means that abortions will continue to happen irrespective of
the law in Northern Ireland. Surely there is a point of common cause between
pro-life and pro-choice advocates which recognises that addressing this issue amongst
others will reduce the number of abortions by removing the societal pressure
for woman to choose between having a career and having a family. Any genuine
attempt to improve quality of life for woman must include far stricter
penalties for any business limiting the career opportunities for woman who
choose to have a family.
Of course
career opportunities are only one of the challenges that women face, in many
cases poverty rather than career is the challenge that woman face. Struggling
to bring up children on the edge of poverty and becoming pregnant again
presents women with another choice. It is a choice forced upon them by society,
the welfare system that exists today is becoming less and less focused on
providing the resources for families to live without work. The drive to present
work as the best option delivers for men either with or without a family it
does not meet the needs of women either in or out of a relationship. A recent
report from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) (2) details the challenges
that families and especially lone parents face in relation to keeping above the
poverty threshold. As CPAG state “A lone parent working full-time on the
‘national living wage’ will be 20% (£74 per week) short of what they need to
achieve a minimum standard of living.” (3) Any discussion on reducing the
number of abortions must include a real commitment to improving the financial well-being
of families.
As part of
that discussion there is a real need to improve the provision of childcare in
Northern Ireland. A recent report by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions details
the challenges faced by families and women in particular in accessing childcare
and the impact on their careers including the reliance on part time employment.
(4) A cross party commitment in Northern Ireland to providing the 30 hours of
free childcare available across the rest of the United Kingdom means making
difficult budgetary choices elsewhere but in the context of improving the
quality of life for women it is a key element.
The experience
of mothers in terms of the support they receive in the first few years of
motherhood can define their future desire to have more children. As society
changes and the knowledge and experience within families varies greatly the
provision of services such as SureStart are vital in providing a supportive
environment. In all of this while the rights of women and the unborn form the
basis of the debate the responsibilities of fathers are too often ignored.
Women cannot be left to bear the sole responsibility for raising children, yet
too often they are, a greater emphasis on the responsibility men have must form
part of the narrative about how society develops a better framework for raising
children and ensuring true equality for women.
If we are
serious about reducing the number of abortions then we must also be serious
about the teaching of sex education, relationship education call it whatever,
to teenagers. Those who argue that abstinence is the only answer ignore the
reality that such teaching is not on its own effective. (5) By all means teach
abstinence but as part of a comprehensive sex education programme which
supports the physical and mental well-being of all citizens irrespective of
gender or sexual orientation.
The message
for Northern Ireland is clear abortion happens and is accessed by women from
Northern Ireland. Nothing you currently do will change that and legislatively
things will change and there will be safe, legal and local access to services.
Along with those changes there must be a focus on improving the quality of life
of women and children to change the nature of the decision that women take.
There must also be recognition on the other side of the debate, this is not
about being pro-choice, the reason many women take the decision to have an
abortion is because they honestly feel that in our society they have no choice.
We all have a responsibility to change that.