Sharon Keogan on UK abortion reforms and grooming gangs warning
Sharon Keogan criticised proposed UK abortion reforms and the recent UK grooming gangs report, warning Ireland must avoid similar extremes and protect a measured abortion policy. She urged steps to reduce abortions, increase support for women facing crisis pregnancies, and defend open debate on crime and migration.
Concerns over UK abortion reforms
The proposed reform in Westminster was described as effectively allowing total liberalisation up to birth, with the UK cited as having a 24-week limit - double that of nearly every other European country where caps are typically 12 weeks. She highlighted the apparent contradiction that a prematurely born child at 22 weeks would be given lifesaving treatment while a child two weeks older could be subject to a partial birth abortion.
Call to reduce abortions and support women
Keogan said Ireland consented to legalisation on the understanding of a measured and moderate approach and argued that promise must be honoured. She called for a real and honest discussion about how to reduce the number of abortions, proposing reasonable restrictions and greater support for women facing crisis pregnancies to provide genuine choice.
Grooming gangs report and findings
She referenced the report led by Baroness Casey, noting its damning findings that local authorities and police failed to act for fear of being accused of racism and that victims were in some cases blamed. The report identified 700 grooming cases reported in 2023; Keogan said this is likely an underestimate and repeated estimates that over past decades as many as one million young women may have been groomed, alleging the gangs are overwhelmingly of South Asian origin.
Warnings about domestic discourse and media
Keogan warned that a culture of so-called political correctness, conformity and the stifling of open debate is present in Ireland, where those who raise concerns about crime or migration are labelled far-right. She criticised the media and politicians for freezing out certain voices and urged vigilance so similar failures and extremes do not occur in Ireland.
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I would also like to extend my sympathies to the Fitzgerald family and indeed to the Fianna Fáil family on the loss of Liam Fitzgerald. I also want to welcome into the gallery this afternoon Councillor Jason Murphy from Walford and his fiancée Nicola who recently got engaged. I rise today to highlight two stories from the United Kingdom that are of relevance to us here in Ireland. They are connected by a common theme that we must be very wary of certain ideas of Irish exceptionalism and we must stop thinking it won't happen here. The first story concerns the current reform has been proposed to abortion laws in Westminster which would effectively allow for total liberalisation up to birth. The UK has some of the most extreme abortion laws in Europe. Its 24-week limit is double that of nearly every other European country where the cap is typically 12 weeks. In the UK if a child is born prematurely at 22 weeks the hospital will do everything possible to save its life yet just two weeks later that same child could be subject to a partial birth abortion an act which would be considered tantamount to murder. Still British abortion activists continue to insist that these laws are insufficient ignoring the majority of the UK voters who believe the current laws are either adequate or too extreme. Here in Ireland the people consented to the legalisation of abortion on the understanding that we as a nation would take a measured and moderate approach. We must honour that promise and not override the will of the people as has happened too often in the UK and increasingly here. In fact we should be having a real and honest discussion about how to reduce the number of abortions in our country. This is a humane goal and no one should oppose whether through reasonable restrictions or by providing greater support for women facing crisis pregnancies giving them a genuine choice. The second story from our neighbours is the recent release of the report on the grooming gangs. Commissioned by the UK Prime Minister and led by Baroness Casey its findings are utterly damning. The report found that local authorities and police forces not only failed to act for fear of being accused of racism but in some cases the young girls the victims of rape were themselves blamed. And what is the human cost? The report identified 700 cases of grooming reported in 2023 alone. A figure that is likely an underestimate due to unreliable and frankly dishonest reporting. Other studies have estimated that over the past few decades as many as one million young women may have been groomed by these gangs who are overwhelmingly of South Asian origin. Let us be absolutely clear, this is horrific crime on a sickening scale enabled by a culture of so-called political correctness, conformity and stifling of open debate. Members of this House, when we look to our own country and see that someone who raises concerns about crime or migration is labelled far-right, when we see the media freezing out certain voices and we see politicians in these houses refusing to engage with accredited media because of their political views, we must recognise that this culture is all too present in Ireland today.
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