The times they are a changing

Ireland has repealed the 8th Amendment. Abortion has not been decriminalised as of yet as the law governing this was connected to the 8th. There are celebrations to honour the fact women in Ireland should now have autonomy over their bodies.It was celebrating the reasons why many women will have to invoke these rights. I wrote the rest of this when I was feeling  bit overwhelmed at what has happened historically.

Do you remember this song?

‘She had a baby three months old, weile weile waile.
She had a baby three months old, down by the river Saile.

She had a penknife, long and sharp, weile weile waile.
She had a penknife, long and sharp, down by the river Saile.

She stuck the penknife in the baby's heart, weile weile waile.
She stuck the penknife in the baby's heart, down by the river Saile.

Initially, a nursery rhythm, made famous by Christy Moore and The Dubliners, referencing The Irish Famine.Between 1850 and 1900 there were more than 4,500 suspected cases of infanticide  by the childs mother (not including cases of where relatives where involved). Lack of food and money , not just the views of society played a factor.Some were ‘luckier’, the father might marry them or Grandmother pretend it was hers . Maybe she could leave it for the week with a childminder, paying them most of their wages, sure if they had the baby with them they couldn’t be a live-in servant. Maybe a Mother and baby Home would suit? Mortality rates were high but still you would have somewhere to stay. Even if you did kill the baby and were sentence the judge might be lenient, tell you ‘You’re a good girl ‘and let you off with a ‘You must be on your best behaviour now’. A Foundling Hospital might be better again let The Angel Makers take care of things'What else could I do?’ describes many of these cases

 Since there have been people, we have decided. During the Stone Age the human population remained quite static and many anthropologists believe this was achieved through infanticide.  Roman times, a letter from a soldier to his wife ‘If it is a boy keep it but if it’s a girl expose it’.There are many myths of children from poor families been found and raised by rich families or wolves. We all have ways of justifying our actions

In Asia now we ask where are all the girls gone? Government intervention to control the population has led to secret births and gender selection.Where it is forbidden , they will travel. If they can not, they will order pills or find someone  to do it for them.Whatever the laws throughout the world all the babies will not be born or if they are they all will not live.This is true for Ireland whatever the decision on May 25th Whether we like it or not this is part of the Human Experience. 

Slightly Darwinian but we have not always been pre disposed to help the weak or feed the hungry in times of scarcity.It's terrible to have to make these choices but we do and have done for milenia.As horrified as you maybe be you have to accept this. Preaching about the sanctity of life doesn't feed the starving or care for the disabled. It doesn't help the baby who will not survive inside the womb or its mother who may die of sepsis. It's easier to tell others what do when you don't have deal with the aftermath. It's harder to walk in her shoes