Conference deeply divided over abortion

Sharp divisions within the Green Party on abortion emerged at its annual convention on Saturday.

The party's national council, which is made up of delegates from throughout the State, is expected to decide shortly on its attitude to the Government's proposed referendum.

The party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, and its other TD, Mr John Gormley, are to receive a briefing from the Taoiseach on the Government's position.

The abortion debate, which was taken at the conclusion of the conference in Kilkenny on Saturday, was chaired by Mr Gormley, who said the party's elected representatives were there to listen to everybody's point of view.

"I know from my own experience in the constituency just how difficult this issue is, because we get representations all of the time from all sides."

Earlier, Mr Sargent told delegates that the party supported the establishment of a crisis pregnancy agency as a practical measure to reduce the number of terminations among Irish women who travelled to Britain.

"However, we are saddened that the agency is not to be given a chance to prove its worth before any divisive abortion referendum is foisted on the nation once again."

The Leinster MEP, Ms Nuala Ahern, said she would not vote for the Government's wording.

"If you delete the suicide clause, you will be making a woman's life of lesser value than that of her unborn child, and I think that is absolutely unacceptable," she said.

"I am a psychologist, and I take suicide very seriously. Those who do not take suicide seriously, and say that it would open the floodgates for social abortion, have a view which represents an appalling attitude to women in particular."

Ms Christina McElroy (Dublin South Central) called for the implementation of a recommendation in the Kilkenny incest case that there be a constitutional protection for born children.

"It is absolutely outrageous at the moment that the emphasis is on what point you may or may not have an abortion, or whether you are allowed to travel. We have children who are born to Traveller families and are dying of TB today."

Ms Cliona Kimber (Dublin South East) said she wanted to speak out in favour of a woman's right to choose. "We do have abortion in Ireland. We are just hypocritical. People can go across to the UK very easily and have abortions if they wish, and banning it in our Constitution does not actually stop it.

"If we did not have the position whereby people could go across to the UK, you would see young women at home using coat hangers and all sorts of other awful things to have abortions."

Mr Larry Gordon (Dublin South) said he was pro-life and regarded abortion as bad. "It devalues and trivialises life in general. To me, the Green Party believes in the value of life of all kinds. I think it is a contradiction for the party to favour pro-abortion or woman's right-to-choose stands.

"Abortion is not a solution. If we have any other problem in society, the solution is not just to kill or get rid of it. I know women can find themselves in very difficult circumstances, but at the same time I think there are alternatives. In this day and age, I do not believe abortion should be necessary. We have adoption."

Ms Lucille ╙ SΘagha (Mayo) said there needed to be some way of explaining to the public the conditions under which somebody was judged to be suicidal or not.

A male speaker said he had been involved in two abortions, in that he had fathered embryos which were eventually aborted. "That was 25 years ago, a time when, according to the crowd I was with, abortion was the moral equivalent of going to the dentist. The woman now has two children.

"I have two daughters whom I love to bits. I am valuing life, but at that time I would not have been able to value life."

Mr Brian Meaney (Clare) said the influence of alcohol on unwanted pregnancies should be addressed.

"I know women who have had abortions who said to me that they would, perhaps, have had other abortions were it not for the distance required to travel to access the service.

"What services were available in this country for the 7,000 women who were said to have gone to Britain last year if they had problems afterwards? That is an important part of what we owe these women."

Ms Afra Cronin (Carlow-Kilkenny) said a practical suggestion to reduce the need for abortion was that the father of every child should be made responsible for his or her upkeep. "No mother should be allowed to take her resources from the State unless the father is also involved."

Mr Donal ╙ Bearra (Clare) said there was no black-and-white answer to the abortion issue. "It is very difficult."