The Irish government is putting forward confused and contradictory messages with its plan for paid leave following an abortion, says the Life Institute.
Ireland is putting together a Leave for Pregnancy Loss Bill which would provide five days of paid leave for women whose pregnancy has ended before the 23rd week. The proposals make no distinction between a woman who has had a miscarriage and one who has had an abortion.
The Life Institute's Megan Scallan said it was a “contradiction” that members of the Irish government want to give five days of leave to a woman who has had an abortion, but wish to prevent women spending three days considering their choice prior to an abortion.
The Republic of Ireland recently voted to scrap the requirement of a three-day waiting period before having an abortion. The decision was controversial with critics noting that the inclusion of the three-day measure was used during the 2018 abortion referendum to convince wavering voters that there would be “protections and safeguards” if the laws were relaxed.
Abortion was effectively legalised in the Republic of Ireland following the referendum. Prior to the vote the number of abortions in the country was in the low double digits. It now stands above 10,000, with one in six pregnancies ending in abortion.
On the latest proposed change to abortion law, Scallan said the government’s position appeared to be that “the act of having an abortion is serious enough to warrant paid statutory leave - but not so serious that a woman considering aborting her own baby should be required by law to take just three days to reflect on the outcome of that decision”.
She added that equating abortion with a miscarriage added “insult to injury” to all the women who had “lost a much-loved and much-wanted baby”.
While supporting paid leave for women who have suffered miscarriages, Scallan argued the government’s plans make the value of human life entirely dependent on the mood of a mother at any given time.
She also accused the government of attempting to use sympathy for the victims of miscarriage as a way to normalise yet more abortion.
“Women who have miscarried should absolutely be entitled to leave from work and time to grieve the loss of their precious baby," she said.
"Women who have aborted their child, however, need a completely different type of sensitivity and attention.
"Their choice to receive that particular kind of ‘essential healthcare’ will leave an enduring wound of a completely different sort.”
