On December 20th, Irish President Michael Higgins has signed a law making abortion legal in Ireland up to 12 weeks without restrictions. Minister for Health Simon Harris placed a rush on the country to prepare for abortions to be committed January 1st. A three-day waiting period was written into the law, as was a plan to review the law in three years. No conscience protections and no restrictions on abortions for reasons of sex or disability (or anything else) survived the legislative chamber.
Having considered the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018, the President has signed the Bill and it has accordingly become law.
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) December 20, 2018
One year to the day since the Oireachtas Committee reported, President Higgins has signed the Termination of Pregnancy Bill into law. Historic day. https://t.co/I3IlmrjCKw
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) December 20, 2018
In response to the news, former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards tweeted an article about the “sheer joy” of taxpayer-funded abortions now available in Ireland.
The right to abortion should not depend upon your income. Thank you women of Ireland! ☘️ ‘Sheer Joy’: Ireland Will Have Free Abortion Care on January 1 – https://t.co/zbDewXpOXT https://t.co/1pePhnc07M
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) December 19, 2018
Earlier this year, Richards greeted news of the repeal of the constitutional rights of the unborn in a similar manner:
Thrilling news from #Ireland! This is a victory that shows overwhelming public support for the ability of pregnant people to make their own health decisions. #Repealthe8th https://t.co/IegESQZXpw
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) May 25, 2018
Richards’ rhetoric represents a stunning disconnect with the grave reality of abortion. Planned Parenthood’s own studies indicate one in three women are coerced into abortion, usually by the males in their lives. A 2016 Guttmacher Institute report indicates that most women who seek abortions cite financial hardship and excessive existing obligations as the primary reason behind their decisions — hardly something to be “thrilled” about.
READ: WATCH: People of Ireland shocked by details of new abortion bill
The Ireland Family Planning Association has confirmed it will begin providing ‘free’ (government funded) abortions starting January 7, 2019.
