Texas and Mississippi Should Ask Ireland About Stopping Abortions

Ireland for centuries has been very Catholic, sometimes called the most Catholic country in the world. Places where I have lived have had priests from Ireland.

The overview of Ireland was one of a narrow rock ribbed conservative national government. The rest of Europe modernized but Ireland did not. Looking back some called it a "quaint North Korea." While the seeds of modernization were sprouting for decades, they appeared as if overnight to us across the Atlantic.

Today, the Catholic Church is shadow of its former self in Ireland and without any political clout. Abortion is legal. Ireland has emerged from its long period of darkness caused by religion in government.

What caused Ireland to change? The link has a great summary, one which should be noted by states who want religion to run their governments. 

    The gap between pious pronouncements and "lived experience" was too great.  

What this refers to are holier than thou words by the government about itself while corruption was rampant and the pious words from Catholic clergy while it covered up its child abuse. What better could describe conservative Catholic and Protestant clergy today in the U.S. and the politicians who depend upon them for votes. The government part of it is not as bad as Ireland but the rest of it applies. And, what about the "lived experience?"

No doubt some abortions were performed in Ireland but most women had to travel to England. On average, this was 433 miles away. An expensive flight was an hour and a half. There are trains and automobile routes that cross water and take an entire day one way. Yet, in the five decades since 1970 over 250,000 Irish women had abortions in England. This is from a small country of only five million people. Ukraine has 40 million people. It shows the long established fact, when women want abortions they get them.  

This same experience is playing out in the U.S. States that have all but prohibited abortions are seeing women travel out of state to get them. As knowledge of where clinics are located and transportation to them becomes even better coordinated expect bigger numbers.

While clergy in Ireland kept trying to stop women from traveling to England for abortions a simple narrative was developing. It was, "If women want abortions and will get them even if we outlaw them, why does government have anti abortion laws?" Ultimately a national referendum, not legislation, freed women from the heavy hand of religious based government.

It took a while, but the people spoke and abortion rights won.