Former Tory Minister believes in abortion on demand for any reason
Episode 3 of Stephen Nolan’s Top Table was aired on Wednesday the 4th of October. The predominantly pro-abortion panel included former Tory minister Edwina Currie, Alliance party MLA Kellie Armstrong and Northern Ireland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma. Lucy Kelly, a 20 year old Youth for Life volunteer, was the only guest on the programme who was pro-life and against legalising abortion in Northern Ireland. She did a tremendous job despite the fact that she had to communicate pro-life arguments against seven people who were in total disagreement.
Edwina Currie did not come across gracefully. She presented her arguments for abortion in a forceful, condescending tone, going to great lengths to repeat the importance of a so-called “free, safe, legal abortion” for women whilst of course shouting over virtually everyone else. Almost 50 years after the introduction of the 1967 abortion act into mainland Britain, heralding a tragic throw-away culture which has taken the lives of 9 million, we know that this popularised mantra is indeed a myth. There is no such thing as a free, safe, abortion in countries where it is legal. Each abortion costs the tax payer at least £600, therefore it is not free. More importantly, abortions are never safe – they are fatal for the unborn child who is destroyed in the womb. The procedure can also be fatal for women – putting their lives at serious risk. Many have died in shocking botched abortions globally and countless women have had their physical and mental health left in ruin following abortions. In the UK alone, there are tragic cases which exemplify the danger of abortion.
Furthermore, the recent UK Care Quality Commission Report revealed 400 botched abortions done by Marie Stopes within just 8 weeks. 2600 serious incidents were reported in 2015 as well as unregistered nurses and doctors bulk signing consent forms, as many as 26 within 2 minutes. Abortions aren’t only physically unsafe but also emotionally and mentally harmful for women. The Ferguson study released in 2008, conducted over a period of 30 years, revealed an 81% increase in mental health issues in post-abortive women.
Edwina Curry’s use of this manipulative, misleading mantra of ‘free, safe, legal’ abortion is very dangerous for a progressive, informative society. Furthermore, making abortion legal does not make it morally or ethically correct. Plenty of abhorrent things in human history have been legal such as slavery.
Currie then went on to shamelessly state that “the most important aspect of a child is that it’s wanted.” That comment is callous. Currie is suggesting that every so-called “unwanted” child should be aborted and thus unwanted human beings don’t deserve the right to life. Surely, this is an elitist, inhumane and deeply insensitive comment which has no place in this discussion.
Bernadette Smyth, Director of Precious Life, asks “Since when do we have the right to kill those who are unloved and unwanted? Isn’t our own humanity measured by how we treat those who are the least popular, the biggest outcasts, and the most despised? What kind of society kills it’s unwanted? And what does it say to the child of a culture when they hear slogans proclaiming that they must be “wanted” or else they are not even worthy of life itself.”
Wouldn’t mental health issues and suicide rates in our world significantly increase if every child, teenager and adult had the mindset that they must be “wanted” in order to deserve the right to life because Edwina Currie, renowned egg expert, had the audacity to come to Northern Ireland and disrespect our democracy and our life-respecting culture by forcing her opinions where they’re not welcome?
The attitude of Edwina Currie can be perceived as nothing short of rude, pompous and tyrannical. The people of Northern Ireland have repeatedly rejected abortion as a stark contrast to a progressive, compassionate society. Our democratic process must be respected here – our pro-life laws have saved at least 100,000 people since 1967. Abortion is a devolved matter here – it is entirely undemocratic and totally unacceptable that a despotic Westminster government gives itself the power to speak for Northern Ireland. Edwina Currie does not represent us.
At the top table, she repeatedly employed common pro-choice euphemisms, talking relentlessly about ‘choice’ and ‘terminated pregnancies.’ An astute Lucy Kelly corrected her, “…it is not the termination of a pregnancy, it is the termination of a human life, Edwina.” Throughout the programme, there was a persistent denial of fundamental truth and basic scientific facts from the young guests and the politicians themselves as they took it upon themselves to decide when human life begins. Maria Maynes, a 20 year old Precious Life volunteer, is a brilliant advocate for life who from the audience reminded the panel, to their disdain, that there’s not one scientific textbook on the planet that will say human life doesn’t begin at conception. Edwina Curry wilfully blinded herself to scientific facts about the development of human life, brusquely and patronisingly dismissing the fact that from the moment of conception the baby has its own DNA, genetic blueprint, blood type and unique fingerprints, like water off a duck’s back. Curry evidences the disregard which the British abortion model has created for human life.
Alliance’s Kellie Armstrong, while on the Top Table programme, described the tragic and traumatic situation in which she had a medical abortion, using that experience to argue for a liberalisation of our laws here. However, her baby had already sadly died. Therefore, it is not the same as the intentional killing of a human being. Thus, her story had absolutely nothing to do with the discussion at hand on whether abortion should be legalised in Northern Ireland. People who support the pro-life stance want to help women in crisis pregnancies and post-abortive women in a caring, supportive, compassionate way. It is deeply hurtful for women and families to hear terminology such as abortion for the medical removal of an unborn baby who has died in the womb. This terminology needs amended.
“It is disturbing to hear that conversations in the media in Northern Ireland have unhelpfully and inaccurately conflated two very different and distinct issues,” Precious Life director Bernadette Smyth said. Many women have suffered from the loss of a baby through miscarriage, and although the correct and official term for a medical procedure to remove that baby may be “medical abortion” or “medical termination”, this terminology is in fact extremely hurtful to many,” Mrs Smyth added. The medical removal of an unborn baby which has died in the womb is in no way an abortion, as understood by the public.
Abortion involves the deliberate ending of a life, not the removal of a baby which has already died in the womb. To then proceed to use this as a starting point and discuss this procedure within the context of a debate about legalising abortion was confusing, if not entirely disingenuous, and it would be wrong for those who are campaigning for a right to choose to end an unborn life to continue to do so. When talking about miscarriage and abortion we are bringing to light two very separate, important and sensitive issues and a firm distinction must be drawn, especially when these issues are given a platform by our media. Both are incredibly painful and traumatic experiences which leave behind immense guilt, however they are two entirely different things.
Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland’s Commissioner for children and young people, isn’t even an elected political representative for Northern Ireland and therefore is not qualified to be a public, political voice for the people – particularly if it is a voice that is meant to protect children yet doesn’t believe in the protection of them at every stage of development. She incorrectly stated that the UN want abortion decriminalised. The decriminalisation of abortion is a misleading, twisted statement because it means that all legal protection is taken away from the unborn child – therefore in the eyes of the law they are not seen as human beings.
On Thursday the 5th of October Currie aggressively expressed on the radio that “all pregnancy is a choice” and that “forcing” women to go through a pregnancy “always puts her life at risk.” How can anyone be given the “choice” to determine whether another human being lives or dies. The word forced is typical of pro-abortion propaganda used to distort and twist the reality of what the natural procedure of pregnancy involves and the fact that pro-life people want to provide all the care and support needed for women. The word forced is more reflective of the manner in which Currie delivered her pro-abortion opinions than the reality of women choosing life for their baby.
To be a child unwanted is a “very grim life sentence” according to Currie. What a disgustingly, inhumane, heartless statement that has absolutely no direct bearing on the moral, ethical issue of abortion. Even if no one wanted to adopt a baby, it would still not be right to kill that baby. There are many thousands of people who are unable to conceive and therefore would be delighted to raise a child. Therefore, Currie’s statement is just a callous, pathetic attempt to justify the intentional killing of human beings up to birth for any reason.
Watch the Top Table on:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b096vf8t/the-top-table-series-1-episode-3
Listen to Bernadette Smyth and Edwina Currie speak on the radio:
https://audioboom.com/posts/6365227-outrage-on-last-night-s-top-table-after-edwina-currie-suggested-some-children-would-be-better-off-aborted-than-put-in-care