While American evangelicals seem to be gaining power in their absolutist totalitarian drive to outlaw all abortions (while demonizing contraceptives in the bargain, some surprising place are showing a ray of sanity and humanity.
After Ireland Abortion Vote, Northern Irish Ask, ‘Why Not Us?’ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/world/europe/northern-ireland-abortion.html? May 28, 2018 - By Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura and Alan Cowell BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Tyler McNally was surprised when he answered a knock on the door of his Belfast house one evening to find two police officers standing there, and shocked when they presented a warrant to search the premises. They had reason to believe, Mr. McNally was told, that he had ordered abortion pills online for “a vulnerable woman." ... “Having two police officers sit in my living room and tell me that I may face life imprisonment only to then toy with the idea of bringing me in for questioning in cuffs or just invite me in to ‘try and get me to talk’ was quite a harrowing experience," he said, “and I’m not someone depending on access to abortion services." Ireland’s vote on Friday to end its near ban on abortion, overwhelmingly supporting change in what used to be a bastion of Roman Catholic influence, has inspired many calls in Belfast, London and elsewhere for similar liberalization in British-ruled Northern Ireland, whose draconian laws governing the termination of pregnancy date to the 19th century. ... ---- Further reading: Ireland Votes to End Abortion Ban, in Rebuke to Catholic Conservatism https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/world/europe/ireland-abortion-yes.html Where Did Ireland Go? Abortion Vote Stuns Those on Both Sides https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/world/europe/ireland-abortion-refendum.htmlIn the era of dogma driven political insanity, I raise a toast to the fine people of Ireland, may their example be a shining light and inspiration for rationalists and humanists everywhere.