Amal’s Story

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Amal: A Journey Through Conflict, Rape and the 8th Amendment

From the Rape Crisis Network Ireland:

Dr Clíona Saidléar, RCNI executive director writes:

Amal was an asylum seeker who arrived here fleeing her central African country where she had been repeatedly raped as she escaped conflict. Upon arriving here she found out she was pregnant. She was approximately 7-8 weeks along at that point. Amal was horrified and deeply traumatised by the fact of her pregnancy and asked for a termination.

Amal was under 18, a child, now living in direct provision with no independent means and so entirely dependent on the state. She also spoke little English.

Amal needed help with information and making arrangements. Amal needed formal papers to allow her to travel to leave Ireland, go to England and return. Amal had no money. Amal had arrived with some family but they too were asylum seekers without the means to assist her.

Those responsible for Amal and caring for her felt constrained by the 8th amendment in what they could do.

By the time legal arguments were resolved and all professionals and statutory authorities had done what they could and needed to do to vindicate both her right to travel and what was very clearly her real emotional and psychological need to have an abortion, more than 14 weeks had passed.

Amal endured, in great distress, throughout that period and now faced into a late term abortion.

The video is narrated by the Rape Crisis Support worker who accompanied Amal in her personal capacity, as no statutory professional felt they could do so under the 8th amendment.

Amal is now married and a mother, she has a vote and gave her permission for us to tell her story.

RCNI

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102 thoughts on “Amal’s Story

  1. Paul

    Christ, is there any end to these hard cases we’re being fed and the attempts to use them to shape law.

    1. TheRealJane

      Nope, there’s no end to the hard cases and that’s why the hateful eighth must go.

    2. Nigel

      If letting these hard cases continue is the price Paul has to pay to keep the 8th, a constitutional amendment notable primarily for exacerbating and even creating hard cases, then Paul is bravely willing to make that sacrifice.

    3. mildred st. meadowlark

      Did you watch the video? And that was your response?

      That says an awful lot about you, and little of it good.

      1. PlumBobSmearPants

        The Clinton campaign classified that type as ‘basket of deplorable’. They’re much much worse. And they exist the world over. Between this and an article I read on Trump lifting an ‘extreme hunting ban’, it’s really upset me.

        1. Paul

          Oh no are you serious? The Clinton campaign classified me as a “basket of deplorable”? How will I even live today.
          Don’t be such a a beta Bob, don’t re-use the name calling feminist females use on your fellow man, what is wrong with you?

      2. Paul

        It says that I would prefer not allow thousands of beings to be terminated just so that this one person doesn’t have to suffer so yeah, whatever sort of terrible things that says about a person are indeed true about me.

        1. Nigel

          The only thing the 8th really does is cause suffering like this. It’s just a machine for making hard cases.

    4. Daisy Chainsaw

      At this point there’s so many. Can you still be complaining that they’re hard cases when in reality, they’re just cases?

      1. Paul

        There really isn’t that many, from my understanding of UK stats you’re probably looking at less than 5% hard cases like this and then the rest being lifestyle abortions, that’s 95% if you’re not able to do the math as you appear to be wanting to start pretending like these hard cases are the norm lol.

          1. Listrade

            I didn’t realise the UK stats recorded “lifestyle” choice, I thought the 97% were recorded as Category C risk to mothers mental health.

            I think my mistake was in looking at the actual report from the UK government.

            Just out of interest, how do you define “lifestyle choice”? It’s a very broad term.

          2. Nigel

            Oh, you know, women’s lifestyles: their lives, their jobs, their educations, their health, their financial status and prospects, stupid women stuff like that.

  2. Paul

    We should make some sort of a law around this hard case and apply it to all the cases.

        1. Janet, I ate my Avatar

          your own warped logic doesn’t count
          it has great big holes in it
          you should go take a day off
          have some fun
          find some joy

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      When the 8th is repealled, it will be possible, but not until then. The 8th doesn’t care about rape or incest or the age of the vessel.

          1. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

            I read an excellent tweet yesterday. I’m going to crowbar it in here:

            “Ask yourself if there’s an inherent contradiction in being ok with abortion in cases of rape or incest, but not otherwise. If that’s your stance, then your issue is not with the termination of pregnancy, your issue is with the manner in which the woman was impregnated.”

            That was by @AonghusOg. It’s a very good thread if anyone’s interested.

          2. Listrade

            Which was discussed at the Commission and heard from numerous people. The problem is reporting it as a crime.

            That in itself is a huge problem, but so is the timeline. You report, then you have to be examined. Do you have to wait for a charge or a conviction? What if there isn’t enough evidence for a conviction or a charge? Is the report enough? How long then?

            What if it’s domestic abuse (rarely reported) do you expose the woman to more danger for reporting it? What if it’s incest and/or statutory rape?

            Funnily enough, all that was discussed and it was thought about.

            I agree with their decision.

      1. Paul

        Ah the delicious irony of a person who chooses the route of killing thousands so that few don’t have to suffer accusing the person suggesting that the opposite be done of a lack of empathy is no doubt lost on you?

        1. Nigel

          I suspect it’s the flippant ironic pose and the creeping alt-right terminology and the abstract thousands vaguely quoted and invoked and the sneering cynical dismissal of the actual cases that suggest lack of empathy rather than any actual argument you may be presenting in there, somewhere.

    2. Janet, I ate my Avatar

      you have really shown your true colours today here Paul
      it isn’t pretty

    3. Inquistor

      Paul, you’re a one man yes-vote making machine with comments like this. Keep it up lad, only a few days to go.

      1. Janet, I ate my Avatar

        Was thinking the same
        Well it’s a gorgeous day out there, too nice to bother with trying to argue with crazy
        He’s on a wind up now

    1. Paul

      I know, I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face. I think the solution to this is to open up abortion on demand which will result in thousands of beings being terminated but hey, at least this one girls won’t have to suffer.

      1. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

        Quick question. Do you agree with abortion in cases of rape & incest?

        1. mildred st. meadowlark

          Andy, I suspect this lad is a Grade A Maggot, so his answer will be something simultaneously inflammatory and patronising.

          1. Janet, I ate my Avatar

            I’d say after this morning’s cracker of performance we won’t see him under that Avatar for a while

          2. Janet, I ate my Avatar

            just Paul working himself into a frothing fantasy of taming the shrew
            #mommyissues

          3. Andyourpointiswhatexactly?

            Dammit. I was all set to quote a zinger of a tweet I saw yesterday which smacks down a certain school of thought.

    1. Sheik Yahbouti

      Me neither. 67 years old, living at same address since 1979. If it doesn’t arrive I will still demand to exercise my franchise, and succeed.

      1. garthicus

        Don’t think it matters, once you’re on the register you can rock up with your ID and you’ll be good to go.

    2. TheRealJane

      Me neither. We’re new in the area so if there’s no polling card action by Thursday, I’ll ring the co council to find out which booth to go to.

      1. Paul

        Should be simple enough jane, just look for the booth with the “kill the most people method” sign over it

          1. Paul

            You guys just keep patting each other on the back there like good girls and us adults will do the important work like saving society from ye

          2. Nigel

            Hey, you keep mocking the plight of a girl who went through this nightmare, and keep showing us what the No siders who aren’t married to the church are made of, it’s a salutary lesson.

    3. BobbyJ

      You don’t need a polling card to vote. Just go to your local polling station and bring ID with you.

      1. The Old Boy

        It may be of some additional assistance if you make a note of your polling number from checktheregister.ie – it should be in the format AB-1234.

    4. rotide

      Come on lads, you two are old enough to know you don’t need the polling card.

      Your Passport/Driving Licence at the station will do.

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