Most of the loud voices pushing for more abortion were rejected by voters, writes Niamh Uí Bhriain
Niamh Uí Bhriain
Long before the general election was ever called, Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin insisted that if voters wanted abortion-on-demand legalised in Ireland, his was the party that would deliver.
Mr Ó Ríordáin and his colleagues then did their utmost to put abortion on the agenda for the election. In a country reeling from five years of austerity that might not have seemed like the smartest political move, but the whole-hearted support of the media meant a discussion about repealing the Eighth Amendment was strong-armed into almost every television and radio debate ahead of the election.
Abortion, we were repeatedly told, was a red-line issue, and the election would reflect the importance of repealing the Eighth to the electorate.
On polling day, the Irish electorate gave their answer: Labour lost a staggering 80% of their seats – the worst-ever result for the party. Many of the TDs who lost out were the loudest cheerleaders for repealing the life equality constitutional amendment: Anne Ferris, Kathleen Lynch, Alex White and, of course, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.
If the election was a referendum on the importance of repealing the Eighth Amendment for the electorate – and, remember, it was abortion campaigners who insisted it was – then the abortion push couldn’t have been more decisively rejected.
Fine Gael’s vote also took a significant hammering. In constituencies like Cork North West and Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fáil and Independent candidates who identified as pro-life, replaced Fine Gael TDs who had voted for abortion. Meanwhile, the most liberal wing of Fine Gael was left severely depleted, with candidates such as Alan Shatter, James Reilly and Jerry Buttimer – all who had strongly supported introducing more abortion – lost their seats.
In fact, a total of 43 TDs who voted to legalise abortion in 2013 lost their seats in Election 2016.
As previously observed, clearly other factors, such as jobs, healthcare, housing and emigration played a key role in how the people cast their votes, but the results make for grim reading for those who have argued that repealing the Eighth is a priority for the electorate.
Evidently it is not, and it is equally evident that there is a significant intensity gap between pro-life voters and those who want to legalise abortion.
A week before voting day, an Abortion Rights Campaign activist admitted on UTV news that politicians said that they tended to hear more from pro-life voters at the doors than from those who supported abortion.
Constituencies
The vast majority of constituencies returned a pro-life candidate. Some, like Kerry and Kildare North, returned two or three, while all three of the Roscommon/Galway TDs elected oppose the repeal of the amendment or voted against abortion.
It’s worth noting that some of the top vote-getters in the country were candidates who opposed abortion including Michael Healy-Rae and Michael McGrath. Staunch pro-life advocate Mattie McGrath doubled his vote in Tipperary.
In contrast, only 20% of the 177 candidates who signed a pledge to repeal the Eighth Amendment were subsequently elected.
Difficult
It was disappointing to see that a small number of TDs who took a brave pro-life position in 2013 – Terence Flanagan, Lucinda Creighton, Peter Mathews and Billy Timmins – lost out, along with Colm Keaveney in Galway, but I have no doubt they will be back. It is extraordinarily difficult for small parties to get off the ground and to distinguish themselves from the pack, but they will find their way through those challenges.
In the meantime, we are being told by woebegone Labour representatives that with the demise of Labour, abortion is off the table. That’s a claim that should not lull us into a false sense of security.
We should seize this opportunity to broaden and deepen our outreach which aims to reach the entire nation to have a personal conversation on abortion. That’s the kind of long-term commitment we need now if we are to #ProtectThe8th, and provide a better answer than abortion for mothers and babies.
Niamh Uí Bhriain is a spokeswoman for the Life Institute yestolifeireland.org