General Practitioner Dr Anne McCloskey was a panel member at a political hustings event in the city earlier this week. Other panelists included People Before Profit candidate Eamonn McCann, the UUP’s Julia Kee, outgoing SDLP MLA Gerard Diver and Sinn Fein’s outgoing spokesperson on health, Maeve McLaughlin. Dr McCloskey said the issue of abortion came up during the panel discussion and attention was drawn to a court case in recent days in which a woman who purchased pills online in order to induce an abortion was given a suspended prison sentence. Comments attributed to Dr McCloskey on social media claimed she said, ‘That woman’s liberation has done women in this city a disservice. They have become receptacles for men’s semen and they feel they can get rid of it when they want.’ However, speaking to the Journal, the GP said that her comments were taken out of context. “What I meant was that women’s liberation has brought us so far. “Women are not at times in charge of their sexual health, often resulting in crisis pregnancies of which they are not in control. “I attribute this to a lack of sex education and the availability of services. “Women are disempowered and some feel that they have to make themselves sexually available in order to be accepted.” Referring the Journal to a statement on her Facebook campaign page, Dr McCloskey said that she had already made her views on abortion public. Sections of that statement said: “I’m pro-choice, but I’m against abortion...I am opposed to the introduction of abortion here. Even formerly enthusiastic supporters of the 1967 act in England did not anticipate the current situation where de facto abortion on demand terminates some 200,000 pregnancies annually, over 95 per cent for non-medical reasons...Protection of the defenceless should be fundamental to our shared humanity.” The incident drew heavy criticism from other panel members at the hustings event. Mr McCann told the Journal: “No matter in what context these comments were made, they were disgraceful.” In addition, Ms McLaughlin said: “The comments made by Dr McCloskey are deplorable and a gross insult to all women.” Mr Diver commented: “I was incredibly shocked at what she said. Obviously I disagree entirely. I found it entirely inappropriate and offensive.” Dr McCloskey also told the Journal: “This is not about apportioning blame or denigrating women. It’s about how men treat women, how they respect them. Abortion is about men and women, relationships and family.”