Perhaps the first of these is the idea that this is a self-evidently serious argument in which all parties have a sincere belief in what they are saying, and are therefore entitled to respect – both from their opponents and from any neutrals who may be observing.
This idea – or rather, this pious fiction – is a response to the supreme ugliness of previous debates, which were characterised by displays of mutual loathing.
Its proponents, generally Official Ireland types who can be heard murmuring their banalities on the Marian Finucane show, seem to think that the debate would somehow be conducted on a higher level if people were just a bit nicer to one another.
But of course they are wrong.
The notion that a belief is entitled to respect just because it is sincerely held requires but a moment's thought before it is dismissed.
For example, a man may possess the absolute belief that he is not an alcoholic when, in fact, he most certainly is one – that belief of his, regardless of the sincerity with which it is held, clearly merits no respect.
But there is a more profound error in the proposition that the debate itself, the whole argument, is worthy of respect. Most certainly it would be worthy of respect, if there was no get-out-of-jail card for all concerned, if there was no England.
If Labour ministers, for example, were insisting that Irish women should no longer have to travel to England for abortions, but could avail of the same services here, and that a failure to introduce such a measure would result in their resignations... that indeed would be worthy of respect.
And if those who freely describe abortion as murder were prepared to do something to prevent all these "murders" happening in England – stopping women at the airport, for example, would be a start – it might lead to some very ugly scenes out there, but you couldn't deny the integrity of their position.
In the absence of any meaningful move in that direction, what is left is essentially bullshit.
And bullshit, as we know, begets bullshit.
For
example, another of the pious fictions out there is that women can be
believed when they say that they are suicidal and that they require an
abortion.
Leaving aside the fact that the only thing we know for sure
about suicide is that we know very little about it, for decades, for
perfectly good reasons, women have been telling lies about abortion, be
it an abortion that they have had, or one that they are about to have.
It
is virtually unknown in this country to hear a woman saying, "I'll be
away in London next week, having an abortion." If she needs to give a
reason for her visit, she will just make up something. This is no more
than basic common sense.
Indeed,
it is an insult to women to suggest that they would be telling the
truth about this stuff, even to people that they know very well, let
alone to a team of professional interrogators put there to make a few
Fine Gaelers feel better.
Women have lied incessantly, in
many ways, and they will continue to lie, and everyone knows that. In a
world of bullshit, it is not wise to go around telling it like it is.
Only
in that world could there be such a thing as a "Catholic hospital".
This was a term used by Cardinal Brady on RTE radio's News At One,
perhaps nostalgic for a time when no one would question such a fusion of
the apparently contradictory disciplines of religion and science – with
religion usually winning out in the event of a tie.
Presumably
the cardinal was allowed to hold forth on "Catholic hospitals" and the
like, because despite the Ferns Report and a shed-load of other reports
of that nature, the views of the church that he represents on issues pertaining to sexual behaviour are somehow still considered worthy of respect.
Or
at least, it is the sincerely held belief of many that this is the
case.
Ah yes, our old friend the sincerely held belief was personified
most impressively by Peter Mathews, when he made his famous "men went
into the mines" speech.
To paraphrase, it was put to him
by Vincent Browne that the woman involved should make the decision,
given that her health might be seriously impaired.
To which Mathews
replied: "Look... men went into the mines... to provide for their family
and their health was impaired. They died young. Life is tough."
'It is virtually unknown in this country to hear a woman saying: "I'll be away in London next week, having an abortion"'
What is marvellous about this is not just the straightness of it, for which Mathews is actually entitled to a certain respect, but his apparent unawareness of the other possibilities of the "life is tough" approach.
For
example, in democratic countries, it is widely accepted that you have
to put up with various things that you don't like. Otherwise you are
living in a state of infantilism, wanting everything your own way. You
are Paddy, just wishing it would all disappear.
So if
Irish women seeking terminations of their pregnancies were permitted to
have access to that service in Ireland as they do in England, Peter
Mathews and like-minded individuals would clearly be very sad and angry.
But you know guys... life is tough.