Ireland: You Can Force Women to Be Mothers, But You Can't Force Men to Be Fathers

A recent case has caused controversy in Ireland, with laws surrounding the rights of an unborn child seemingly biased in favour of men.

Abortion remains illegal in Ireland, with the Irish constitutional guarantee for the right to life "from conception." Unless a threat to the mothers health, both patient and practitioner can face lengthy custodial sentences for undergoing abortion.

And as a result of lack of access to abortion care at home, every year thousands of women and girls travel from Ireland to other European countries for abortions.

The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn, however a recent case has shed light on this issue and exposed some inequalities.

In the case in question, the Irish Supreme Court that denied a woman access to her frozen embryos because her ex-partner objected and did not want embryos fertilized with his sperm to be implanted and brought to term.

In short, according to the Irish Supreme Court, an embryo is apparently an "unborn person" when it is inside the womb of a woman--and is then equal to and can compromise her own health--but it is not an "unborn person" when a man does not want it to be.

With the wording in Irish law stating that there is a right to life "from conception" - shouldn't this mean that an already fertilized embryo has passed the point of conception?

The case has led to much controversy and criticism of the current law. For more info on this debate follow the link: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2010/03/18/ireland-force-women-mothers-cant-force-fathers