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Choose life says new Sinn Féin TD

It’s a source of constant wonder how anyone still contrives to find Sinn Féin a radical party. In the north they run a corrupt grantocracy and sit in government with the hard right DUP. To pick a random example, Magherafelt council ,which has six SF councillors, is looking to make 184 staff redundant. The Republican…

Liam
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imageIt’s a source of constant wonder how anyone still contrives to find Sinn Féin a radical party. In the north they run a corrupt grantocracy and sit in government with the hard right DUP. To pick a random example, Magherafelt council ,which has six SF councillors, is looking to make 184 staff redundant. The Republican vanguard is maintaining a silence on the subject honed by years of clandestine activity.

The party’s most recently elected member of the Dáil, Pearse Doherty has taken a firm stand on one issue that really matters. He’s not calling for the repudiation of the banks’ debt nor for taking houses into public control so that the speculators can’t make families homeless.

Oh no. He’s nailing his colours to the mast or, more precisely, responding to the Pro Life Campaign to which he “has given a written personal commitment to oppose any legislation that would make abortion available in Ireland and supports a law to protect the human embryo from deliberate destruction.”

Nothing even along the lines of “it’s not what I’d recommend but it’s a woman’s right to choose” or “my party’s position is..” In fact his position was exactly the same as that of Fianna Fáil’s and for that matter of the local bishop.

7 responses to “Choose life says new Sinn Féin TD”

  1. Mark P Avatar
    Mark P

    Sinn Fein’s official position is to oppose abortion rights except in cases of rape or incest or where the Mother is at risk. Their MLA’s of course all voted against extending abortion rights to the North.

    They are actually tacking a bit to the left verbally in the South at the moment, having realised that with Labour committing itself not to reverse any cuts and to stick with the deficit adjustment plans that there are votes to be had by being the voice of mild opposition. It’s sheer hypocrisy, of course, when you remember what they are at in the North.

    It’s more than enough to convince a few halfwits across the water though!

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  2. entdinglichung Avatar
    entdinglichung

    wasnt’t SF position on abortion a bit more progressive 25 years ago?

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  3. John Meehan Avatar
    John Meehan

    Doherty’s position is to the right of current Sinn Féin policy – which is not much different from the Labour Party (moderately pro-choice, against the constitutional ban of 1983).

    However coalitions of feminist and socialist activists fought hard and successfully against that ban – leading to significant pro-choice referendum victories in 1992 (3 referendums) and 2002 (Fianna Fáil’s unsuccessful attempt to overturn the Supreme Court X case judgment of 1992). In all these campaigns SF activists were very thin on the ground, while feminist members of the Labour Party were pro-active – the most prominent being the current TCD Labour Senator Ivana Bacik.

    I hope the United Left Alliance will now address the key practical issues to take the pro-choice movement forward – the public debate is here :

    http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/the-statement-agreed-at-the-foundation-of-the-united-left-alliance-ula/

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  4. Mark P Avatar
    Mark P

    John:

    It is a perversion of language to describe the anti-abortion position of SF and Labour as “moderately pro-choice”. Both are explicitly against the right to choose.

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  5. John Meehan Avatar
    John Meehan

    Readers can judge the positions of various Irish parties from this excellent Choice Ireland post :

    http://www.choiceireland.org/node/60

    Other readers can debate my levels of language “perversion” – but I must offer a confession – I am more interested in the substantial question of what strategy should be adopted to make abortion available in Ireland for women. That is the purpose of my contribution to the discussion of the opening United Left Alliance statement.

    Offering a positive pro-active strategy on women’s rights is the best way to go. Doing this, we have a good chance of efective joint work with Labour Party pro-choice feminists, and some Sinn Féin supporters as well.

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  6. Mark P Avatar
    Mark P

    John,

    the word “perversion” may have been a bit harsh. I understand where you are coming from – Labour and SF are less rabid in their anti-choice position than FG or FF and you think that might leave some sort of strategic opportunity.

    However, it is completely and utterly wrong to describe two parties which explicitly reject the idea of a woman having a right to choose as “moderately pro-choice”. They do not think a woman has a right to choose, therefore they are not pro-choice in any way, shape or form.

    If you’d said moderately pro-life or moderately anti-choice as compared to the extremists in FF or FG, I’d have agree with you. But if you don’t think a woman has a right to choose – and both Lab and SF are very clear that they do not – you are not pro choice.

    One of the most important things SF MLAs have ever voted on was the extention of abortion rights to the North. Every one of them voted against. Prettifying their stance doesn’t make their stance any better.

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  7. Mark P Avatar
    Mark P

    By the way, that link your forwarded is indeed useful. Eirigi have no position on the issue, SF refuse to say, Labour say nothing in about 1,000 words.

    There are two pro-choice answers. The Socialist Party and the SWP.

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