Abortion campaigners asked to be civilised
PRO-CHOICE and pro-life campaigners are being asked to keep their arguments civilised and respectful, with the States due to debate abortion legislation today.
Protesters from both sides of the issue are expected to gather on the Royal Court steps this morning to lobby deputies as they enter the chamber.
Deputy Carl Meerveld, who is asking for a review of the legislation, said he welcomed the huge public interest in the matter and the amount of discussion that had been generated.
But he added that a small minority had gone too far.
‘They are resorting to vicious personal attacks to try and intimidate people to not speak out on an issue they are concerned about. I’ve personally received letters with only a first name and no return address, criticising my character, my ethics, my morals, attacking me on a broad basis, trying to intimidate me from speaking out.
‘I think any debate should be done in a reasoned way.
‘All sides have an obligation to listen to the other side’s arguments, they may not agree but at least listen.’
One aspect that Deputy Meerveld has been criticised for over the last few days, is that he sponsored a Facebook post which outlined his beliefs.
Social media users had questioned whether this was appropriate, but Deputy Meerveld said it was an indication of his commitment.
‘I’m paying for it personally out of my own pocket, and I’m doing it to raise awareness of the real issue, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with abortion do you accept the idea of legalising self-abortion to the end of a mother’s term at nine months?’
On social media Deputy Meerveld has sometimes been portrayed as someone completely against abortion, and he wanted to clarify that it was not true.
He said he was in favour of abortion and broadly pro-choice, but was not comfortable with a law change that would allow a woman to self-abort a foetus up to nine months without any legal consequences.
