A Matter of Freedom

If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool liberal like me I have some good news that you’ve probably already heard: women in Belfast, and the rest of Ireland if they travel, can now get an abortion at the Marie Stopes clinic.

Let’s not get excited though, because the law concerning abortion is a bit convoluted and very strict in Northern Ireland. In fact there is already an investigation into the legality of the clinic by the Irish government. In Northern Ireland abortions can only be performed if the life of the mother is in danger and require the agreement of two doctors. According to the BBC there are between 30 and 40 abortions on the NHS every year in Northern Ireland, more humane at least than the neighbouring Republic of Ireland where there is an absolute ban on abortions. A state of affairs which unsurprisingly results in many Irish women travelling to the UK to get an abortion.

An unfortunately necessary bit of hardship which is just as shameful as the trip many British people take to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. When such a primary and fundamental right of all people, the right to decide what happens to your own body and your own life, can only be salvaged by travelling to another country then your government has failed. It has failed in the only real responsibility any government has, which is to maintain a decent standard of living for its citizens, basic self-determination is the bare minimum any human should expect.

Why is it Ireland (both Northern and the ROI) that is lagging on this issue? This will surprise nobody, but I blame religion. The same “curdled Christianity”, to quote Terry Pratchett, that values ‘life’ as a concept with no consideration of the conditions into which that life is born. The facile concept of ‘sanctity of life’, ignoring whether the mother (who is hardly ever mentioned I notice) feels capable of raising a child, wants to raise a child, can afford to raise a child or was even raped (I know some American Republicans will contest that rape can result in pregnancy, but I assure you it can).

But all of the above obscures the real issue, any reason or biological realities are irrelevant. Even if someone has what I consider a terrible reason for abortion (think up your own, I know you can) then it is none of my business, it is none of yours. Not your priest, not the government, not your God, no one has the right to make that decision except the one who has to live with the consequences either of abortion or pregnancy.

We are none of us qualified to make that choice except in our own case. But the Irish government, along with the Irish religious, feel they can make this decision for every woman in Ireland. Arrogant fools.

A Taste of Your Own Medicine

I don’t know an awful lot about Reddit; I’ve never been there, so I’m going to keep this short. Everyone on the internet probably knows about the notorious ‘troll’ Violentacrez who by all accounts was integral to the fetid underbelly, and the less submerged areas, of Reddit the self-proclaimed ‘front page of the internet’

Violentacrez apparently gets his jollies by posting and creating forums for objectionable content, just to be objectionable. If by some fluke this is news to you here is the original exposé. One of the most prominent of these being a subreddit for the posting of self-described ‘creepshots’ of often under-aged girls. Barely legal photos posted without the subject’s knowledge or consent often stolen from Facebook or some other site where they were put to be shared with friends.

A large chunk of Reddit however, has taken offense not at his disgusting activities, but at the invasion of Violentacrez’s privacy, the reveal of his real name, the supposed attack on ‘free speech’ that exposing this stalker-ish behaviour apparently constitutes.

Well here’s my thought for the day; if someone makes a habit, no a hobby, of violating the privacy of under-aged girls. Hell, if someone makes a pastime of broadcasting private photos to the world. Then the kind of scum that would commit or condone these actions has no right to cry when they finally get shoved into the spotlight themselves.