On Saturday, the Independent published an article by Celine Naughton about abortion in Ireland. The article addressed the legal definition of the unborn, political discussion on the right to life, and the experiences of women who have had abortions. The following excerpt is the experiences of two women hurt by abortion. You can read the article in full here.
Last year, in this newspaper, I interviewed Bernadette Goulding, a grandmother from Cork, who revealed the heartache she had carried with her for years, having had an abortion in England at the age of 19. Frightened, lonely and ashamed, she made her decision in haste and for a year afterwards she took to carrying around a doll in her handbag and cradling it when she got home from work."When I discovered I was pregnant, I was terrified. What would my parents think if they found out? I couldn't bring that shame on the family," she said."Afterwards, I was consumed by guilt. I thought I'd be better off dead because I'd done something so awful."
Lynn Coles from Belfast felt betrayed when she discovered that the baby she had been pressured into having aborted as a teenager was more than the "blob of cells" that the doctors had described."I felt angry at myself for getting pregnant, at my boyfriend for not protecting me and at the figures of authority who encouraged me to have an abortion," she said. Bernadette and Lynn set up a support group called Women Hurt to help others deal with regrets over abortion.
 |
| Lynn Coles and Bernadette Goulding of Women Hurt |
