Liam Neeson has written a powerful article on why “men must stand with women” and vote YES in the abortion referendum.
The Irish actor strongly feels that the public should vote for to repeal the Eighth Amendment on May 25.
Source: Wikipedia
The statement reads:
There are times when we must stand for what is right. When the obvious injustice of a situation demands that we do so. For me, the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment is one of those times.
A time to stand up and be counted. A moment when men must stand with women.
Men owe a debt to women in Ireland. For too long, we have at best stood by and at worst participated in a system that has stripped women of their human rights. Ireland has inflicted indignity and abuse on women for generations, and on a grand scale.
In recent decades we have demonstrated the capacity to face the truth of such abuse, to own it and to do whatever we can to respond to it. And that is to our great credit. But the Ireland of the Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes is not another country, or a relic of some long distant past.
Yes, gone are the days when our country used to drop our pregnant women and girls off at the gates of institutions that hid them behind high walls.
Yet still we drop our girlfriends, wives, daughters, sisters and mothers to the departure gates at Dublin Airport, forcing them to travel to other countries to access basic healthcare services and denying them necessary aftercare upon their return.
Ireland remains a society where we see women in crisis as a problem, to be exiled overseas instead of cared for with respect and compassion here at home.
It’s time to end that. It’s time to respect women’s right to make decisions that are right for them and their families.
Having spent a significant part of my life based outside of my home country, I have witnessed Ireland becoming a nation that leads the world on social issues yet we still treat women as second-class citizens by taking away the basic right to make choices about their own bodies and if and when to have children.
For years I have campaigned for children’s rights on behalf of the UN as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and I have been proud of Ireland’s commitment to this issue, but our denial of basic human rights to women and girls means that work is far from complete.
I can understand why some men in Ireland might feel that this is a women’s issue and they should stay out of it. But this is a moment when men in Ireland must stand with the women in their lives by actively participating.
In Ireland, men have complete control over their bodies. Women do not. Even if a woman has been raped, or her health could be damaged by a pregnancy, she has no control over what happens next.
There’s nothing wrong in not knowing everything there is to know about abortion.
It is an extremely complicated issue and a deeply personal one. Amnesty International Ireland is helping men in Ireland have conversations with their friends and loved ones and at itstime.ie you will find resources to help you dive into these important chats.
Talking is the best way to understand and learn, and it is precisely this kind of dialogue that will make the difference on referendum day. I urge you to be part of this conversation, to bring it to the places where you live and work, to be a powerful force for change.
On May 25, we have a once in a generation opportunity. It’s time to care for women at home. It’s time to respect women’s right to make decisions that are right for them and their families. It’s time for us, as men, to stand with women.
Source Independent.ie
Tom Eagen
Friday 18th of May 2018
Ah yes, we should all adhere to the positions of Holy Mother Church which has led us down the right path at all times. Abortion is declared a sin: pedophile priests are seen as an asset to be preserved. Workhouse/laundries are the best answer for unwed mothers. Let us all continue to let the good priests, celibate, and the good nuns, celibate, so our thinking and make decisions for all who live in the real world.
Rex Keeshan
Sunday 13th of May 2018
No wonder your society is dying
Marie Scott
Saturday 12th of May 2018
That decision should be made before conceiving a child. Would Liam feel that way if he was the child being considered for abortion? Have you ever noticed that the very ones supporting abortion are those that have already been born. Stand up for those that cannot speak for themselves.
Nancy McMenaman
Saturday 12th of May 2018
What about the right of a human helpless baby.!!Woman and men also have to take responsibility for their actions.. A child conceived and given life could be just the blessing a family needs ... God does not make mistakes .Things may be difficult financially but He always provides for our needs .. maybe not all our wants ... There is a reason of love that He breathed life into that child and not to be killed .. We need to stop playing God and again I say be responsible for our actions .. Yes there were times of stress and financial difficulties but we hung in there together , just as our wonderful parents did. clung to our faith and trusted that God had a plan... My husband of 53 years and I are blessed with seven wonderful children and I would not trade or give up any one of them ... We now have twenty grandchildren and there are no words for the joy they bring...Nancy Brereton McMenaman