Yearly Archives: 2013

 

Update:

 

repro Cora(Johanna Westeson, top, from the Center for Reproductive Rights and Cora Sherlock of the Pro-Life campaign, above)

Today, the campaign group Terminations for Medical Reasons will take their petitions alleging human rights violations to the UN Human Rights Committee in relation to pregnant women diagnosed with fatal foetal abnormalities who have to travel outside of Ireland for terminations.

Last night James Burke, from the TFMR, and Clíona Johnson, from One More Day, appeared on RTÉ’s Prime Time. last night

They both told of their respective decisions when James’ wife Amanda and Clíona found out they were expecting a child with a fatal foetal abnormality. James and Amanda’s daughter had Edward’s Syndrome while Clíona’s son had anencephaly.

Amanda travelled to Liverpool for a termination. Clíona went full term here in Ireland and gave birth to her son before he died.

RTÉ presenter David McCullagh then invited Johanna Westeson, from the Center for Reproductive Rights, which has its headquarters in New York and is helping the TFMR with theirs petition, to speak. Ms Westeson was followed by Cora Sherlock, from the Pro-Life Campaign.

Ms Westeson, top, said Clíona had very important things to say. She also said nobody from the Center for Reproductive Rights or TFMR would tell a pregnant woman with a fatal foetal abnormality to have a termination. But she said any woman in Ireland must be given the option to have such a termination in this country, instead of having to “run off to another country like a fugitive”.

Ms Sherlock said:

“I think that every family has the right to meet their baby and I think what we’re seeing in this debate is the ongoing failure of this government to put those kind of facilities in place. As James said, we need to have separate facilities so that women who find out that their babies are terminally ill can go an meet other women in that position and get the kind of support. We need to look around the world, and see what’s happening in other countries, like in the US for example. I would encourage your viewers to go on to YouTube after this programme and look at a programme called 99 Balloons. It talks about Eliott Mooney who only lived for 99 days but it shows a kind of connection, as Clíona was talking about between mother and baby, that can, you know, create over that time. And also the fact that he went on to inspire his parents. When Eliott finally died, his parents were inspired to do a lot of work with disabled babies, in the aftermath.”

She then continued:

“Can I just make one other point, David. I’m quite concerned to see the Center for Reproductive Rights getting involved in this debate because what the viewers at home may not know is that they are very involved in campaigning for abortion rights throughout the world. So, you know, this is something that we are dealing with, in this country. We need to have a proper debate about how we’re going to address the situation and how we’re going to give support for families. And I just think it’s not really appropriate for an internationally-funded group to come in and get involved in that event.“

Hmm.

You may recall how last December, the Sunday Business Post reported:

“The American Pro-Life Action League has said Irish pro-life groups are set for a significant financial boost as a result of fundraising campaigns across the US. The national director of the American Pro-Life Action League has said that Irish pro-life groups are set for a significant financial boost as a result of fundraising campaigns across the United States. Joseph Scheidler told The Sunday Business Post that members of the league, which has been active since the 1980s, would also be travelling to Ireland to take part in anti-abortion protests here. He said the donations involved could amount to several hundred thousands of dollars, and that a significant amount of the money raised would go to Youth Defence.”

 

Prime Time debate here from 35.40.

Hat tip: Fluffybiscuits

30 somethingsThe Indo says you’re doing great,
If you’ve managed to score more than eight,
If not you’ll lose face,
For it seems it’s a race,
So hurry before it’s too late.

John Moynes

Infographic via: The Ray D’Arcy Show, Today FM

love hateA hero emerges.

Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin this morning.

Context

Meanwhile, Newstalk reporter Henry McKean with a resemblance to ‘Love/Hate’ dentist ‘glad’ character is killed off (Independent.ie)

Thanks Siobhan McHugh

brutal

Former taoiseach and austerity cheerleader John Bruton appeared on Newsnight last night to tell the British public how great we’re doing in Ireland as we exit the bailout.

He was joined by Ann Pettifor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME).

And she was having none of it.

Jeremy Paxman: “John Bruton what do you think is the lesson of the Irish experience?”

John Bruton: “Well, I think the lesson of the Irish experience is that you have to invest in the long term. We have over the last 30 years developed a very strong foreign direct investment sector, you have mentioned technology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, financial services. Also, we have made this a country where it’s very easy to set up a new business – the bureaucracy involved in establishing a new business is quite small – and that has encouraged a lot of Irish people to set up businesses, spinning off from the hi-tech sector and has enabled us to be in a situation now, where our services exports actually exceeds our goods exports. So we are a very dynamic economy, and we’re also an open economy – in contrast to say Greece, Portugal or Spain – where they basically trade within their own nation. We import and export much more…”

Paxman: “Ann Pettifor’s here, if I may, sorry to cut across you there. Ann Pettifor, it’s a very mixed picture, when you see a lot of young people emigrating, a lot of people have had to take serious cuts in their living standards and worry about making ends meet – according to the IMF and the European Central Bank, this is an economy that’s resurgant?”

Ann Pettifor: “And I heard Joe Lynam say that as well, and actually there’s been an up tick in the quarterly numbers on GDP, but the European Commission says that the economy continues to contract – on an annual basis. So we have very high levels of unemployment, we have incomes falling, we have households with 200% of their debt to disposable income and we have a country that is effectively evicting a whole generation of its people, 1,000 people a week – and it’s a tax haven. So I mean, really to talk, or to think…”

Paxman: “You wouldn’t think you were talking about the same country?”

Pettifor: “Well exactly. I think that there’s a lot of spin going on about Ireland and I think that really, the economy has not been restructed – not a lot has changed since the crisis.”

Paxman: “John Bruton, do you…”

Bruton: “Well I’d just like Ann to know that at the height of the crisis, we were losing jobs, numbers employed were being reduced by 8,000 a month – we’re now adding jobs at a rate of 3,000 per month – and that has changed completely. And Ireland is not a tax haven – Ireland has made a deliberate decision to have a low corporate tax rate, but that’s a transparent system of taxation with no special deals for individual companies like you see in certain continental european countries. Of course we do have a problem with personal debt, that’s how we got into the difficulty we’re in – but the level of personal debt is being reduced and the Government has, on every occasion met the fiscal targets that it set for dealing with its own financial problems.”

Pettifor: “But John, you must admit that one of the reasons why Ireland is having trouble accessing the ESM, is that Ireland’s European partners are really quite angry about the corporate tax levels – the fact that they are effectively subsidising Ireland.”

Paxman: “This is another argument entirely, altogether?”

Bruton: “No, no, we are being lent money by our European partners, upon which we’re paying interest. That’s not a susbsidy. What that is, is a deliberate decision by our European partners that they want to keep the European Single Currency together – they do not want Europe going down the route of devaluation and inflation of the sort of kind that we saw during the ’70s and ’80s. They are building a single currency which involves a measure of solidarity – and that solidarity is being shown to Ireland, and we appreciate it, and hopefully, in due time, we’ll be able to repay it.”

Pettifor: “My point was that Ireland was doing the reverse (of building solidarity with its European partners) by undercutting her partners in tax terms on her corporate tax levels, this is causing quite a lot of anger not just in Europe but also in the United States.”

Bruton: “No that’s simply not true. Ireland has had this tax rate since 1956.”

At which point Jeremy Paxman cut to an interview with Lady Gaga.

Previously: Who Are We Trying To Kid?

holishit2 holishit

A team of freerunners buck-lep their way though the Berlin suburbs in slowmo. Director Frank Sauer sez:

During their three days journey, the freerunners and camera crew got lost more than once on the endless highways outside of Berlin Brandenburg. We also realized that the most interesting abandoned places are not only well concealed, but are well guarded by security and police. Ignoring those signs of warning the next days were packed with thrilling moments of spectacular runs and tricks but also, getting chased by ghost hunters at midnight, and getting arrested by the police while shooting a drone shot with smoke grenades on top of the tallest building in the area.

Tune: Son Lux – Lost It To Trying

curiousbrain