When news broke that a possible referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment could not be held until 2018 at the earliest under a compromise reached by the Government, it was a huge blow to the repeal movement. Perhaps the Government had issues that were more important to discuss. However this hopeful thought was dashed as soon as our Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, asked for a conversation about pornography.
Kenny said that some of Ireland’s youth is being “tainted and corrupted” by pornography and stated that a “national conversation” is needed on the issue.
This sudden demand to discuss the effect of porn on Ireland’s population seems like a way to distract people from the dismissal of the Eighth Amendment. The shocking statement grabbed headlines and flooded social media feeds. It was so ludicrous that everyone was discussing it.
However, this drew attention away from the issue that has been dividing the nation for several years. It suddenly focused the state on something more shocking, porn!
Is the attitude to porn in Ireland an issue? Yes, clearly. But is it more important than repealing an archaic amendment in our constitution?
The Fine Gael leader stated that, “our young people are growing up imagining that what they see on the screen might be normal sexual behaviour. There has to be a discussion about this in terms of families and children and the kind of society that is evolving”.
Of course, we need to teach young people through helpful sexual education lessons in school. Something that Irish schools have been missing in previous years. But schools seem to be changing their curriculum.
However, to push this issue to the forefront when there are so many more important issues to talk about, is laughable. With the refugee crisis, Brexit, the budget and strikes of secondary school teachers and the Gardaí, these is what the Taoiseach should be discussing if he chooses to blatantly ignore the cries for change of reproduction rights in Ireland.
The impact of pornography is different on all young people. Porn has been labelled many things including addictive and damaging on how young people view sex. Is this really the case? With the introduction of better sexual education in schools perhaps young people will learn more about sex rather than relying heavily on the manufactured world of porn. Rather than demonising pornography using words that make young people embarrassed to discuss it, talk about it as a natural part of life, something that it has slowly become.
It is embarrassing to talk about, especially with family and parents. But the simple answer on how to fix the next generations view of porn, is to introduce sex education that gives a realistic view of what sex really is.
Perhaps it is time we discuss pornography openly, but not at the expense of another more pressing issue. Waiting at least another two years for a referendum on the Eighth Amendment is heart breaking. It will be over six years since the death of Savita Halappanavar, the main driving force behind the repeal movement by the time we get to vote on the issue.
Bronwyn O’Neill
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