Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
PAT KENNY WAS so conscious of the possibility of meeting an Irish person while reporting at an abortion clinic in the United Kingdom he had to slip in and out unnoticed.
In an interview with TheJournal.ie, the veteran broadcaster spoke of the challenges involved in putting together a series on the topic of terminations for his Newstalk programme, The Pat Kenny Show.
Kenny and his team travelled to an abortion facility in Manchester to speak with staff who work there.
“We were aware of the possibility that we might meet an Irish person on the day,” he said, “So I had to make sure I arrived and I didn’t meet anyone except the staff, that there would be no possibility of even my voice being heard in the clinic.”
The last thing you want to do is impinge on someone’s decision on way or the other, for good or for ill. The fact that Pat Kenny is in building could do something to change someone’s mind in either direction.
Despite his more than 40-year career in current affairs, and having covered the issue last time it dominated headlines during the X case, Kenny says the outcome of any referendum on abortion is “impossible” to predict.
“It will depend on what is put on the table,” he said.
“The hard cases that people have talked about, in particular fatal foetal abnormalities, I think that will be persuasive for a lot of people.”
Anything broader than foetal abnormalities may be complicated.
Kenny said there will be arguments and counterarguments for anything more broad than that. For example, the argument against including cases of rape is that in Dublin a procedure to remove tissue in the uterus, known as a D&C, is already performed, or the morning after pill is administered.
He added that while the same-sex marriage referendum was a good news story “about people being happy together”, the abortion debate isn’t a positive one.
In this case it’s all about bad news, whether it’s a woman who is faced with the reality of carrying a baby with a fatal foetal abnormality or someone who is in a crisis pregnancy, be it rape or be it another reason, one way or the other that is kind of bad news.
We’ll have more from the interview with Pat Kenny in the coming days.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Mattress amnesty- they’re taking the Mick.
@John Jones:
He’ll be OK. His compadres will spring him.
Would make more sense if it was a collection service for those who have no way of transporting bulky items like mattresses .
only clean mattresses. ..the problem is it’s old &dirty mattresses people want to get rid of
This kind of innovative thinking makes me proud to be Irish. I couldn’t even imagine a better way to blow €200,000. Unless of course we spent it providing everyone with a little of the same drugs Naughton is taking. The whole thing might make a bit more sense then to everyone else who might have thought it was a brain fart of an idea that should never have made it past the underpants naughton should be wearing on his head.
Mattress amnesty I’m really confused.
Mick is turning himself in – for crimes against advertising.
Any locations in Cork?
I forked out €90 for 3 single mattresses at my local amenity centre, no wonder there being illegally dumped on a regular basis
@Noel Martin: you think they’re cheap for the council to get rid of? They’d half fill a skip. Not an excuse to illegally dump.
@Noel Martin: the more people are charged the more they will dump, when will this get through to the thick FG mind?
@Noel Martin: I can see a mattress levy been introduced on all new mattresses, there putting it on everything else.
Oh give it a rest and put this issue to bed
@Shoot Thepiano: very true. Important to sleep on it when making decisions like this
I’m sure the people who manage to find a way to transport mattresses to dump them in remote rural locations can find a way to transport them to an amenity centre.
In Australia they have a kerb collection once a year where you can put out what you normally can’t get rid off and the council picks it up works quiet well
Mattresses being dumped illegally are done so for a reason. Accepting only clean dry mattresses won’t solve dumping. All mattresses no matter what condition should be accepted.
Reactionary decision, should’ve slept on it.
They are probably collecting the mattress for their homeless hubs!
I don’t get it. One can break down a mattress in about 15 minutes with a stanley blade and cutters. Once the springs are cut apart, the mattress doesn’t take up much space.
Standard mattress of course, one of those memory foam ones would be a very different story.
Where, apart from Tuam, are the Galway collections? I could do N.Tipp too…
@Jane Alford: bummer. It was on Saturday. Journal on the spot as usual…
Why do it during the Summer? They should wait until Spring comes.
What sort of people dump mattresses? A joke. What about a dog crap amnesty while they are at it.
the going rate is 50 euro to remove a mattress , this is the reason they are dumped and cause litter problems across the country they should have a markup to recycle , http://www.mattressmonkey.ie
I hear they would make good flower beds lol
have your say