The Committee found that Siobhan Whelan, whose foetus was given a diagnosis of a condition incompatible with life in 2010 was forced to travel to the UK to terminate her pregnancy after being denied information; subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; discriminated against by being denied healthcare based on her sex; and denied the right to privacy.

Speaking today in response to the ruling Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) spokesperson Linda Kavanagh said: “Ms Whelan’s case is a common experience among those experiencing a fatal foetal abnormality diagnosis. On top of dealing with their grief, they must find practical information regarding service providers in another jurisdiction, obtain medical records, send them over in advance, arrange accommodation, child care, funding, make arrangements at work, and ensure that they have all the documents needed to travel. Because of the chilling effect of the Abortion Information Act, many, when requesting information on accessing abortion from their medical providers in Ireland, are made to feel like criminals, as the court heard from Ms Whelan, ‘with no regard for the devastating news she had received only a few days earlier’.”

Ms Kavanagh said that the Citizens’ Assembly was set up in response to the previous ruling against the Irish state in favour of Amanda Mellet and they have concluded that Ireland’s abortion laws cannot remain in their current form. “Until Ireland’s laws change, cases such as these will continue to be heard, and won, as the Irish State is unquestionably in violation of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR).”

The Committee found that Ms Whelan’s mistreatment was a ‘direct result of the legislation in place in Ireland’ and she was ‘subjected to gender-based discrimination insofar as she was stereotyped as a reproductive instrument whose needs were subordinate to those of her unborn, non-viable fetus.’

Ms Kavanagh also stated that Ireland currently does not have systems in place to treat pregnant people with fatal foetal abnormalities in a dignified, humane manner that allows them to grieve while receiving necessary health care. “Holoprosencephaly, the condition in this case, occurs in approximately 1 in 250 pregnancies. The mistreatment suffered in this case will continue to be a common occurrence and standard practice as long as state-sanctioned discrimination is written into our Constitution.”

“The Committee’s findings and statements echo previous declarations from UN human rights authorities that women in Ireland are treated ‘as a vessel and nothing more’. Everyone in Ireland deserves autonomy, dignity and physical and psychological integrity. These are the state’s obligations under the Covenant. Until free, safe, and legal abortion is available to everyone who needs it, the Mellet and Whelan cases will be only the first of many such lawsuits.” Ms Kavanagh concluded.

Referendum on the 8th Amendment could be a step forward for Ireland

Speaking today in response to the announcement of a referendum to take place in 2018, Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) spokesperson Linda Kavanagh said, “We’d obviously welcome it, however we reserve judgement until the wording of the referendum is revealed. We fear that it will offer only very limited abortion access and repeat the failures of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act. We need broad-based legislation so that real and realistic access is given, otherwise thousands will still travel or break the law by importing and taking abortion pills.”

“Varadkar was enthusiastic about the Citizens’ Assembly until it recommended broad-based access, and then he immediately started undermining those recommendations. We know from this week’s figures released by the UK Department of Health that thousands travel every year. We also know that another thousand take illegal abortion pills. This will continue until we have a referendum to repeal the 8th in favour of free, safe, legal and accessible abortion access.”

Ms. Kavanagh further added, “Restrictions-based access will not work in Ireland. When we look at the case revealed earlier in the week of the teen detained under the Mental Health Act, we can only conclude that her psychiatrist essentially used the Act as a tool to force this child into continuing an unwanted pregnancy because of their own personal beliefs. Decisions must be placed in the hands of rights holders and not service providers.”

The Abortion Rights Campaign would like to remind the new Taoiseach that the referendum and the options it will offer voters should not be dictated by his own personal beliefs, but rather, by what the people of Ireland want for themselves, their loved ones, and their country. They want individuals to have a choice. The Citizen’s Assembly was established by the government with the intention of discerning people’s opinions when they are given the opportunity to truly consider the issue. The Abortion Rights Campaign has said from the start that the Citizens’ Assembly was a stalling tactic, so the Taoiseach’s slapdash approach to its recommendations is therefore predictable and unsurprising.

Until Ireland has free, safe and legal abortion access, cases like Ms. Whelan’s, Ms. Mellet’s and Ms. Y’s will continue to surface in both the courts and the media, costing Ireland thousands upon thousands of euros in redress payments. The current situation is unsustainable, but replacing it may lead to little or no improvement if the new amendment includes discriminatory restrictions.

Press Release from the Abortion Rights Campaign

17th June 2017

– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –

Abortion Rights Campaign Launches ‘Abortion Rights Roadshow’

The Roadshow will travel the country over the summer months informing the public on why free, safe, and legal abortion access must be introduced both North and South.

Speaking in advance of the first Roadshow event in Galway this evening Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) spokesperson Caoimhe Doyle said: “With a referendum getting ever closer, now is the time to get our pro-choice message to everyone around the country. We will run street stalls in a different part of the country every weekend, equipped with informative leaflets, posters, and volunteers who will be able to answer questions about abortion rights, the 8th amendment, and our vision for the future in Ireland.”

Ms Doyle said the Roadshow will also help raise the profile of ARC’s regional and affiliate groups – the campaign now has over 20 groups around the country “In the evening, each county will have a different event. We will put on exhibitions, speakouts, panel discussions, or gigs, where local pro-choice people can come and meet each other, have fun, find out more about the campaign, and help raise some money for their local regional group.”

“It is also vital that we include Northern Ireland in this event.” Ms Doyle noted “Abortion is still illegal in almost all circumstances in Northern Ireland and those who need abortions must travel to the UK or risk life imprisonment by importing safe but illegal abortion pills. A number of women have been prosecuted in Northern Ireland in the past year for inducing their own abortions.” The campaign has two events already planned in Belfast and Derry, organised by Alliance for Choice, with more to be announced.

“Restricted abortion access affects all those living in Ireland and regional groups will play a crucial part in a referendum campaign. This Roadshow makes it clear that an appetite for change exists in every county in Ireland.” Ms Doyle concluded.

The first Roadshow event takes place today in Galway, organised by Galway Pro-Choice, and the next event will be next Friday in Meath, organised by Meath For Choice. Suzi Coombs of Galway Pro-Choice said “Galway Pro-Choice are very excited to be hosting our ‘Choice Tunes’ event as the first event in the Abortion Rights Roadshow. We’ve had a great response from local musicians wanting to take part and people wanting to get involved. We look forward to the rest of the events in the Roadshow.”

Anyone who would like to help organise an event in their area can contact the Abortion Rights Campaign (info@abortionrights.ie).

ENDS

––––

For further information or comment contact

Caoimhe Doyle

media@abortionrights.ie

Facebook: facebook.com/abortionrightscampaign

Twitter: @freesafelegal

Lives and health of the most vulnerable put at risk as our laws are weaponised against them, Abortion Rights Campaign says

Women and pregnant people continue to be denied access to abortion under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act (PLDPA), despite their lives being at risk from suicide.

Responding to reports today that two pregnant women who had attempted suicide were denied terminations under the PLDPA, Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) spokesperson Linda Kavanagh said: “These cases just serve to prove what ARC has been saying about the PLDPA since its introduction in 2013, namely that it’s an unworkable piece of legislation that is not fit for purpose. These cases, combined with the case we saw last week of a young girl detained under the Mental Health Act after seeking an abortion, show definitively that even those who should be entitled to an abortion under our narrow legislation are not receiving the care they need.”

Ms Kavanagh warned that after repeal of the 8th amendment, any legislation that does not allow for broad access to abortion services is doomed to fail: “It is clear that any law that requires women and pregnant people to prove their circumstance before being allowed an abortion will not work in Ireland. If a woman who tries to commit suicide twice is not entitled to an abortion under the grounds of risk from suicide, what hope does a victim of rape or incest have of accessing abortion under a rape ground? We urgently need legislation that will allow women and pregnant people access to free, safe, and legal abortion. We cannot continue this unworkable system where anyone is forced to prove they are ‘deserving’ of care.”

“The fact that both these women were immigrants who needed a visa in order to travel highlights the discriminatory nature of our abortion laws” Ms Kavanagh also noted. “Those with money and visas can travel, while those without must be forced to endure an onerous and traumatizing process where gatekeepers can decide if and when they are entitled to basic human rights. Time and again we are seeing the PLDPA, a law that was supposed to help women access the care they need, weaponised against the most vulnerable.”

ENDS

ABORTION RIGHTS CAMPAIGN CAUTIOUSLY WELCOMES CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY REPORT

Citizens’ Assembly recommendations strong, but will not fulfill our human rights obligations, campaign says.

“We are pleased with the Assembly’s recommendation that the termination of pregnancy without restriction should be lawful,” said Clare Lanigan, spokesperson for the Abortion Rights Campaign on Thursday. “We also welcome, with caveats, that the recommendations for legislation allowing full abortion access for the first 12 or 22 weeks of pregnancy respectively have been upheld in the report.”

Ms Lanigan added, however, that these recommendations fall short of the “gold standard” of abortion access: complete decriminalisation and free, safe and legal access for all who need it when they need it. “While it is still a huge step forward to see legislation that respects women and pregnant people’s bodily autonomy being proposed to the Government, these kind of arbitrary limits are not medically necessary and will still cause many people to be denied the access they need.”

Ms Lanigan continued, “The Abortion Rights Campaign also welcomes the findings that the members of the Citizens’ Assembly recommend that ‘termination of pregnancy, any rights of the unborn, and any rights of the pregnant woman to be matters for the Oireachtas….to decide how to legislate on’. We don’t think that another Constitutional article is necessary to ensure this happens because we believe that the 8th Amendment must be fully repealed and not replaced.”

Linda Kavanagh of the Abortion Rights Campaign said, “We do not support the recommendation of 12 ‘grounds’ for abortion access and associated gestational limits proposed by the Assembly.”

“Exceptions-based abortion access is impracticable and discriminatory, as we explained in our submission to the Citizens’ Assembly. For example, access on grounds of fatal foetal abnormality is welcome and will go a long way to easing the years of pain inflicted on women and couples in these situations, however, it still does not address the vast majority of abortions that people in Ireland need. Similarly, abortion access based on a ‘rape clause’ is unworkable and would simply add distress to women who are already victims and facing an unwanted pregnancy by asking them to engage in the lengthy process of proving their eligibility for abortion access.”

“Access on grounds of risk to health is of course essential, but we do not believe that legislation needs to specify exactly what risks should apply in what case – this is an issue to be decided by pregnant people and medical professionals.”

Ms Kavanagh continued, “The Abortion Rights Campaign does not advocate for gestational limits, as we know they are medically unnecessary and become a barrier to access for the most vulnerable. We believe in trusting women and pregnant people, along with their doctors, to make the medical decisions they need. The best way to meet the needs of abortion seekers in Ireland and to ensure access to those who need it is to decriminalise abortion and to introduce free, safe, and legal access.”

Ms Lanigan added, “We also welcome that the ancillary recommendations of the report include improvement of standards in maternal and perinatal care, especially the recommendation that 20-week scans be provided as standard in all public hospitals. This gap in care has long been highlighted by AIMS Ireland, Midwives for Choice and other groups. The Citizens have shown a sincere depth of understanding of the full range of issues surrounding reproductive rights and justice in Ireland.”

Ms Kavanagh concluded, “The Citizens have shown us a possible vision for the future of Ireland, with more education around sex and healthcare, more supports for people whether they decide to have an abortion or continue their pregnancy and one which is more equal in its care of pregnant people. We now need the government to catch up to this vision, and call a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment so we can have real and realistic access to abortion for everyone who needs one.”

PLDPA Figures Show Current Laws Not Reaching Majority Of Those In Need, Says Abortion Rights Campaign

The Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) say that today’s Department of Health figures on the number of abortions accessed under the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act (PLDPA) show that most people who need abortions in Ireland cannot access them under our current law.

The numbers released by the Department of Health show that of the 25 abortions carried out in Ireland in 2016, one was because of the risk of suicide, eight took place due to risk to the pregnant person’s health while the remainder were performed in the context of emergency healthcare where the pregnant person’s life was at risk.

This is number is slightly lower than that of 2015, when 26 abortions were performed under the PLDPA. However, reports from both the Irish Family Planning Association and the Abortion Support Network show that women who qualify for abortions under the Act are choosing to travel rather than face the ordeal of committees.

Speaking on Thursday, ARC spokesperson Clare Lanigan said, “The onerous and potentially traumatic process whereby the decision to allow a woman to have an abortion under these extremely limited circumstances is a deterrent to vulnerable people in need of healthcare.”

Ms Lanigan continued, “The report does not show how many applicants under the Act were refused, nor the impact refusal has had on their health. This is a huge oversight on the part of the HSE and the Irish Government. In the last month alone, there have been several reports of suicidal minors and migrants who have been failed by the process through which they should be entitled to abortion services in Ireland. This failure has led to further suicide attempts or, in at least one case, the incarceration of a child under the Mental Health Act.”

ARC spokesperson Linda Kavanagh added, “The PLDPA has always been a flawed piece of legislation. That only 25 people can access healthcare under it while over 3,000 must travel every year shows how unworkable and potentially dangerous it is. The people of Ireland deserve access to abortion locally, free from barriers,shame and stigma.

Ms Kavanagh concluded, “Abortions happen in Ireland, covered by the maternity health care scheme as per the PLDPA. But those that happen under the PLDPA meet the needs of only a small minority of people seeking abortions in Ireland. Today’s report from the Citizens’ Assembly shows yet again that the people of Ireland want decisive action on this issue. It is time for the government to act. It is time to repeal the 8th Amendment and legislate for free, safe and legal abortion in Ireland.”

UK Government Funding Of Abortions For Northern Ireland Is Welcome, But Ruling By Belfast Appeals Court Disappointing, Say Abortion Rights Campaign.

The Abortion Rights Campaign welcomes today’s unprecedented news that the UK government will fund abortions for women and pregnant people travelling from Northern Ireland. However, the campaign condemns today’s ruling by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal that the current restrictive abortion regime does not violate the human rights of women and girls.

Reacting to the vote in the House of Commons today, Clare Lanigan, spokesperson for the Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) said, “Today’s announcement is an improvement of the situation for the hundreds of women forced to travel from Northern Ireland every year to access healthcare, however continuing the status quo of denying people access to abortion at home is not acceptable.”

Ms Lanigan noted that the vote today in the UK Parliament is in sharp contrast to the ruling this morning in the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal: “The original High Court rulings of 2015 and 2016 made clear that the current state of affairs in Northern Ireland as regards abortion is unacceptable under European law and a violation of human rights, but today’s ruling is a step backwards for human rights in Northern Ireland.”

“The political parties in Northern Ireland cannot continue to ignore the human rights violations it has stood over for generations, especially now that the House of Commons has agreed to allow women and pregnant people travelling from Northern Ireland free access to abortions in England under the NHS.”

“Despite the removal of the cost barrier for the procedure, remaining costs of travel, accommodation, childcare and visas for those who need them act as significant and sometimes insurmountable barriers to accessing abortion. Additionally, there are many reasons why a person may not be able to travel to access abortion, so removing the cost barrier addresses only part of the problem and for only some people.”

Ms Lanigan concluded, “It is clear Northern Ireland’s lack of abortion access violates the European Convention of Human Rights. We already know that 72% of people in Northern Ireland want change to the current law, so today’s court ruling goes against the democratic mandate of the people.”

“The Abortion Rights Campaign will continue to support our allies working for change in Northern Ireland, including Alliance for Choice, the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign and the Abortion Support Network. Women’s lives are more than just pawns in a political game.”

The 6th Annual March for Choice, takes place on Saturday the 30th of September, assembling at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square from 1.30pm, before we march on Dáil Éireann at 2pm.

The theme of our March this year is Time to Act!

The Citizens’ Assembly report shows us the Irish people are pro-choice. We are ready for change.

The movement to repeal the 8th Amendment from the Irish constitution has gone from strength to strength. In March, Strike4Repeal saw thousands of people occupy O’Connell Bridge, and march on the Dail in the evening, with countless more on the streets in cities around Ireland and abroad, showing that the issue of abortion rights is not going away.

This year we have learned of young children sectioned under the Mental Health Act for seeking abortions, of suicidal women denied access to the abortion they’re entitled to under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act because their doctor doesn’t think they’re “suicidal enough”

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland women continue to be prosecuted for procuring their own abortions, even though the push to decriminalise abortion is growing in the rest of the UK.

We need full repeal of the 8th Amendment in the Republic of Ireland, and proper legislation in Northern Ireland. We need access to free, safe and legal abortion for all who need or want it. And we need it now.

We have waited too long. We have been patient for too long. We are tired of waiting.

We need to act. Our government needs to act. And YOU need to act!

Join us on September 30th to make your pro-choice voice heard, this is your last chance before a referendum is called.

It’s Repeal O’Clock. It’s Time to Act!

Government Must Support Repeal of 8th Amendment in Order to Meet Human Rights Obligations, says Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC)

In Geneva yesterday, United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT) again emphasised the incompatibility of Ireland’s abortion ban with international human rights law and questioned the government’s support to repeal the 8th Amendment, expressing concern at the lack of progress taken since Ireland’s last examination under the Committee in 2011.

Speaking today ARC Spokesperson Michali Hyams said, “In what is becoming a familiar scene, the Irish state must once again answer to a UN committee as to why there has been no progress in ensuring the human rights of women and girls in Ireland are vindicated.”

Ms Hyams said, “The Committee was troubled by the fact that the there has been no change in law in response to the cases of Amanda Mellet or Siobhan Whelan: “In both of these cases, women were forced to travel to access abortions and the State was found to have inflicted cruel and inhuman treatment, in violation of UNCAT.”

“In light of this, the Committee were eager to know whether the government was urging the Oireachtas to call for a referendum, and whether the government would be encouraging the Irish public to vote in favour of repeal.”

Ms Hyams noted, “The State today claimed that they had already begun to address these failings through the Citizens Assembly process and the subsequent formation of the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC). However, it is clear from the Committee’s comments that the JOC recommendation is not enough. In order for the government to discharge its obligations under UNCAT, they must ensure the wording of any referendum allows for a full repeal and facilitates the Oireachtas to legislate for real and realistic access to abortion, in line with international human rights law”.

Ms Hyams concluded, “Simply put, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure a referendum to Repeal the 8th Amendment passes, and that Ireland’s laws are brought into line with the rest of Europe. We can no longer allow barriers to access to remain in our constitution.”

As we do every year, we’ve been asking you to tell us why you are marching in this year’s March for Choice. Thanks to all who have sent us your thoughts. Here’s just a few of them. If you would like to tell us why you’re marching for choice this year, please email hello@meathforchoice.ie

Because it’s still there

“Okay, this is hardly an original thought, but since you asked – I’m marching against the 8th (again) because it’s still there, and for free, safe and legal access to abortion because it still isn’t.” – John

I march for my daughter and all women / Siúlaim ar son m’iníne, is ar son gach bean

“I marched in the 80s for myself. Still marching today for my daughter & all younger women” 
Irish: “Shiúil mé ar mo shon féin, sna hochtaidí. Anois, siúlaim ar son m’iníne, is ar son gach bean óg sa tír seo.”
– Réaltán

I am marching because I have two daughters and I want their future in Ireland to be unrestricted.

‘I will be a first time marcher this year. I am marching because I have two daughters (1 & 3) and I want their future in Ireland to be unrestricted. If either of them faces an unplanned/crisis pregnancy at any stage in their lives I want to know, and be able to tell them. I want them to know I fought for change. I hope that they won’t still be fighting for the same human rights decades from now.’ – Siobhán

Should I fall pregnant, as a family, the choice should be with us to decide.

‘I have 2 young kids; a girl and a boy. We planned our family and do not want another child. Should I fall pregnant, as a family, the choice should be with us to decide.

If either of my kids are faced with an unwanted pregnancy in their lives, I refuse to travel abroad with them for something that should be accessible in Ireland. We will teach them about sexual health, reproductive rights and consent in our own time – the Irish education system is so lacking on this – and try to make sure they are aware of all methods of protection against pregnancy and STD’s.

However, should that fail, we’d support them and help them in any choice they make. Hopefully the law will support us and have properly funded crisis pregnancy options in Ireland.’ – Sarah

Image: March for Choice 2016. Credit: Renee Summers

As we do every year, we’ve been asking you to tell us why you are marching in this year’s March for Choice. Thanks to all who have sent us your thoughts. Here’s a moving account by an anonymous contributor. If you would like to tell us why you’re marching this year, please email hello@meathforchoice.ie

It’s time to acknowledge our autonomy and human rights

“Why am I marching for choice? Where do I start?

In August of last year I joined the ranks of the tens of thousands of women from Ireland who have travelled to access an abortion.

My anger at being forced to travel, to endure that trauma was strong. Strong is an understatement; I was brimming with an intense rage, directed towards the disaster that is our law in Ireland and the effect that it had had on me and on my family. I was also struggling with the isolation and the weight of the stigma I felt, as a person who was already a mother, and had had an abortion.

I didn’t realise how much of a weight that was until the day of the march last year. We packed the car with ourselves (partner, kids and I!) and posters that I had made. It was a miserable day, the rain just kept on coming. We parked and made our way to the Customs House, to join other people with children. We waited in the lashing rain, handing out snacks liberally to head off the onslaught of ‘I’m tired, I’m hungry’ etc from the kids. They will forever associate the March for Choice with an endless supply of treats!

As we waited, I was anxious, nervous, excited, and unsure all at once. We kept watching up the quays for a sign of the march. We heard it before we saw it – drums beating, megaphones leading the chants and people, thousands and thousands of people, all shouting for me and for my right to choose.

The ARC banner was at the front, stretching the width of the road, holding behind it a wave of sound, support, solidarity, empathy and righteous, righteous anger. It came towards me and the impact of seeing that many people, all gathered together, all marching towards me, felt like the biggest, most meaningful embrace I could ever have wished for. I don’t have the words to describe how incredibly overwhelming that moment was. I cannot find a way to do justice to the profound impact it had on me. The tears came and I wept with the emotion of it. To hear and see that many people coming towards you, in support of you and your rights, validating your choices and acknowledging the injustices that you have suffered is a wonderfully empowering and affirming thing. No stigma. No shame.

Over 3,000 more women have travelled for abortions since I made my own journey. I’m marching this year for every one of them, for my children, and for the many who have yet to travel as we wait for a referendum. It’s time to repeal the 8th. It’s time to acknowledge our autonomy and human rights. Join me?!”

– Anonymous

Image: March for Choice 2016. Credit: Renee Summers

Every year the March for Choice has gotten bigger and bigger. This year will be no exception. Unfortunately this may mean some unwanted attention from the alt-right media or anti-choice counter-protesters. We’ve published this blog to share advice on dealing with these people, should they appear, and to share tips and information that will help you feel as safe as possible when Marching for Choice on 30th September.

There was an alt-right media presence at Strike 4 Repeal earlier this year. They interviewed pro-choice people and heavily edited the video to mislead and to suit their agenda. We do not want to give people like this any oxygen or ammunition.

There will be media present at the March, as it is one of the biggest events of the year, so you will see journalists with cameras and microphones. You can give interviews to media outlets if you wish, but you are absolutely not obliged to just because they ask. If anyone from the media approaches you, feel free to ask for their credentials. If you are not satisfied with how a media reporter presents themselves or if you are not familiar with the media outlet they represent, you are completely entitled to not give an interview. You don’t have to give a reason – any ethical journalist will not challenge a simple “No, thank you”.

Similarly, during an interview, you do not have to answer any questions you are uncomfortable with and you do not have to justify this refusal. You are also entitled to end an interview at any time and to withdraw your consent for the filming / recording being broadcast. Bear in mind that a professional, ethical journalist will not challenge this.

We will have stewards working on the day, spread across the whole march. If you are uncomfortable with any questions or media enquiries please contact one of our stewards (They will be clearly identifiable in hi-viz jackets). We will also have Legal Observers keeping an eye on proceedings

The bottom line is: You do not have to justify your presence to anyone at the March for Choice, and if anyone pressures you to do so, disengage and inform one of our stewards.

Some people worry about encountering aggressive counter-protesters at pro-choice marches. We want to assure you that we have never had a large or even medium-sized anti-choice presence at any of the five Marches for Choice that we have organised. Occasionally, individuals may take it on themselves to be loud or disruptive, but this has rarely had much impact and is far outweighed by the thousands of positive pro-choice marchers filling the streets.

Our March for Choice is a family-friendly, positive, fun event. We welcome drums, samba / marching bands, musical instruments, singing, chanting – anything that makes a lot of noise! You may be needed to drown out some anti choice people but mostly we want the march to be loud, colourful and proud! Here’s a great example from last year’s March of using fun singing to drown out anti-choice negativity.

As with any march or rally we are liaising with the Gardaí. We have trained legal observers, stewards and spokespeople. We don’t expect any incidents but we are well-briefed on security requirements, so that you can all relax and focus on having a great day!

We know not everyone is comfortable with large crowds so perhaps you might be more comfortable near the end of the march where the crowd is more dispersed. If you feel nervous marching, it can be a good idea to march somewhere in the middle of the crowd, where you may feel less exposed.

We are proud to be pro-choice. This is a day for community and pro-choice unity. There is room for all emotions at the march, happiness, joy, anger, sadness, resolution. This is our day!

It’s Time to Act and we want to make sure you feel comfortable and safe enough to join us so we can demand change together.

As we do every year, we’ve been asking you to tell us why you are marching in this year’s March for Choice. Thanks to all who have sent us your thoughts. In this post, Juno remembers protesting the X Case as a child in 1992, and how people are still let down every day as long as the Eighth Amendment stays in place. If you would like to tell us why you’re marching this year, please email hello@meathforchoice.ie

“In other words – he believed that the rights of the foetus were more important than those of the girl. I still shudder when I read those words – not least because he actually called her ‘the defendant’ –  a 14 year old girl who was the victim of a rape – as if she had done something wrong.”

I was 14 years old when I went to my first pro-choice protest. The protest I attended was in response to the X case; the case of a 14-year girl who had become pregnant as the result of rape and was being prevented by the state from traveling to the UK for an abortion. My mother took me. 

Justice [Declan] Costello ordered “that the right to life of the unborn child should not be interfered with and said that the defendant  must be restrained from leaving Ireland for a period of nine months. Although he did accept that the defendant was suicidal, he said the risk was not sufficient to override the right to life of the unborn.”

In other words – he believed that the rights of the foetus were more important than those of the girl. I still shudder when I read those words – not least because he actually called her “the defendant” –  a 14 year old girl who was the victim of a rape – as if she had done something wrong.

I am marching because 25 years on, nothing much has changed for girls and women, who, for WHATEVER reason, need to access abortion services. I have never needed an abortion, but I know many women who have, and I probably know more who have and haven’t spoken to me about it.

I have never wanted kids, and I don’t know what I would do if I became pregnant tomorrow. But whatever my decision would be – it should be just that – MY DECISION.

I am marching because I don’t believe it should be anybody else’s decision what a woman does with her body.

I am marching because I think it is barbaric that this state forces women to travel abroad for basic healthcare and because it insists on keeping its head in the sand about abortion. Irish women have abortions – just not in Ireland.

I am marching because I owe it to myself and the 12 women a day who are forced abroad in secret, and to those women who have been cut open against their will, those who have been allowed die in Irish hospitals, those who have been kept alive artificially because the foetus still had a heartbeat, those who have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act instead of being given an abortion, for the women whose pregnancies are not viable, for the many women and girls who can’t afford to travel, and for thousands of women and girls whose stories we will never hear.

I am marching because you can get a penalty of up to 14 years in prison for procuring or assisting in obtaining an abortion in Ireland.

I am marching because I believe we need to TRUST WOMEN to make decisions for ourselves about what happens to our bodies. – Juno, Dublin.

Image: March for Choice 2016. Credit: Renee Summers

As we do every year, we’ve been asking you to tell us why you are marching in this year’s March for Choice. Thanks to all who have sent us your thoughts. In this post, Ash, who lives in the UK, talks about her recent abortion and how much she appreciated having a free choice. We are marching so that everyone in Ash’s situation gets the same choice. 
If you would like to tell us why you’re marching this year, please email hello@meathforchoice.ie

“I am not glorifying this…This is not something that is given to women ‘on tap.’ But what I will glorify loud and clear is that the CHOICE is so important”

I am a 26 year old Irish woman from Cork, currently living in the UK. I work full-time and have a good job. 4 weeks ago I found out I was pregnant. Of course I had the classic ‘OH GOD!’ moment but instantly in my bones I knew it wasn’t right and this was not my time for an infant in my life.

I went to my consultation for a termination on the 11th. Let me tell you that abortions in England are not handed out like sweets. I was questioned for nearly an hour about my reasons for my decision before being given the go ahead for the termination.

On the 21st of September I arrived with my partner to go ahead with everything. I was again questioned and everything was double-checked before they would even take me to my bed.

My experience was nothing I expected. The staff made me feel at home, they were absolutely amazing. I had a surgical abortion where I was put to sleep for about 20 minutes and had a coil fitted during the process. They monitored me all day, they chatted with me and they made me feel so at home. My whole family lives in Ireland so to go through something like this without my mum, dad or my sisters and come out the other end okay means the world to me. Also having my partner with me who was so supportive and amazing helped too!

I am not glorifying this- and let me tell you if I fell pregnant again in a year’s time I would not have another abortion. This is not something that is given to women ‘on tap.’ But what I will glorify loud and clear is that the CHOICE is so important.  

I have come out of this today, with a new personal experience in something I have always felt strongly about, but now more than ever I can’t stress enough how much we need this in Ireland.
I am now, more than ever, disgusted that we are still fighting for this. This was my choice, my body and no one was harmed by my decision. Everyone can get on with their daily lives and be none the wiser to the hard decision I had to make.

This movement is now personal to me, an Irish person living in the UK who was able to access an abortion and be so well taken care of. I feel for everyone, absolutely everyone who has to travel or who are stuck and things turn out for the worst.

– Ash, UK

Image: March for Choice 2016. Credit: Renee Summers

Biggest ever turnout expected at 6th annual March for Choice in Dublin this Saturday, organised by the Abortion Rights Campaign

Speakers at the Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) press conference today have highlighted the traumatic effects of the Eighth Amendment on everyone in Ireland who can get pregnant, ahead of the 6th annual March for Choice which takes place in Dublin this Saturday, 30th of September.

Speaking at Buswells Hotel this afternoon ARC spokesperson Linda Kavanagh said: “The reality is we have an instrument of violence against women written into our constitution, violence that is enacted every day on all pregnant people in Ireland. The Eighth Amendment  has caused untold misery and damage, and it’s time we removed it once and for all. We have come such a long way in the five years since the Abortion Rights Campaign was founded. However, we will reserve judgement on the announcement of a stand-alone referendum on the Eighth Amendment until we know the question that will be put to the people of Ireland. We have all waited long enough to finally be allowed to make decisions about our own bodies, it’s vital that the government get this right.”

Taking part in the press conference today (Wednesday, 27th September in Buswells Hotel) were Krysia Lynch, Chairperson of AIMS Ireland, Dominique Meehan, a rape survivor and activist, whose rapist was jailed for 12 years last June, along with Bríd Smith, the first TD in Ireland to share her abortion story.

The panel represented the human faces behind the multiple ways the Eighth Amendment enacts violence against women in Ireland.

Speaking about the effect of the Eighth Amendment on all aspects of maternity care, Krysia Lynch said: “The Eighth Amendment hangs like a spectre over the Irish maternity services. It affects everyone who takes decisions for women’s care within it and it affects every maternity service user, whether you want to be pregnant or whether you don’t. It affects pregnant people who want an abortion, pregnant people who have a miscarriage and pregnant people who carry a pregnancy to term. AIMS Ireland estimate that some 103,000 people in Ireland’s maternity services are affected by the Eighth Amendment each year. We feel that women’s healthcare and a 21st century maternity service fit for purpose are not served by the continued presence of the Eighth Amendment in the Irish constitution.”

Dominique Meehan, highlighting the effect of the Eighth Amendment on survivors of rape, said: “I represent a quarter of all women in Ireland who have been raped and who have to deal with even the thought of an unwanted pregnancy. I told my parents that if I’m pregnant we’re going to England. How is that fair for anyone in my situation, knowing that my own government would look at me as a criminal because I couldn’t carry my rapist’s child?”

Speaking about her own abortion experience Brid Smith TD said: “All my adult life I have been campaigning for the right to choose. As a young woman I was exiled from this country to deal with a crisis pregnancy and have an abortion. How many women and girls have faced this prospect since? Way too many. This has to end so we need everyone on the March for Choice – Repeal not Replace.”

Closing the press conference Linda Kavanagh concluded: “30,000-plus people are about to take to the streets to demand broad access to abortion. This is a show of strength that will demonstrate to the government we are not prepared to support anything less than full repeal of the Eighth Amendment and implementation of the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. The wording of the referendum must reflect the will of the people who assemble on Saturday. We want meaningful access to abortion and it is time we got it.”

ENDS

–––––––

For further information please contact:

Linda Kavanagh, Abortion Rights Campaign

Tel:  087 995 2309

Email: info@abortionrights.ie

Twitter: @freesafelegal

#ARCMarch17

Photo credit: David Smith
Print quality images available, email media@abortionrights.ie

As we do every year, we’ve been asking you to tell us why you are marching in this year’s March for Choice. Thanks to all who have sent us your thoughts. In this post, Karen remembers a pregnancy scare and the overwhelming feeling of terror that having no choice imposes on people who can get pregnant.
If you would like to tell us why you’re marching this year, please email hello@meathforchoice.ie

“I still don’t know, 15 years later, what I would have done if the pregnancy test had turned out to be positive. I think about it now and again. I don’t have an answer. I just remember that overwhelming feeling that I really had no choice in the matter at all.”

WHEN I was 23 and working in my first job I woke up one morning to realise my period was late.

Just by a day, but since they had started ten years earlier I had been as regular as clockwork, every 26 days without fail.

I confided in a friend who advised waiting a few days, maybe a week, as periods aren’t set in stone. It will be fine, she comforted, squeezing my hand tightly.

I ran through my options in my head wondering what I’d do if it turned out I was pregnant. I wasn’t in a relationship, I had only been dating the guy casually for a short amount of time, I had a job but it was low paid and I lived in a bedsit that was about the size of an average sized bathroom. I felt entirely unprepared for a baby, I did not want one at that time.

I thought about abortion but as abortion was – and still is – illegal in Ireland I would have to travel to the UK to be able to avail of it. How could I afford that? How would I even know where to go? This was before the explosion of social media, before Facebook and Twitter. It had only been a few years since the ban on UK magazines advertising abortion clinics in their Irish editions had been lifted. Information was out there but it wasn’t readily accessible. I would have had to go alone, find my way around a large city I had never been in and navigate the health system there, with no help. I felt well and truly stuck, with no options. I remember sitting in a cafe in Rathmines crying behind a magazine, trying not to be noticed by the other customers, thinking over and over ‘you’ve no choice, you’ve no choice, you’re just going to have to have a baby, like it or not.’

I spent that week crying, drinking and running to the toilet every half an hour desperately looking for any sign of my period arriving.

After the week had passed and there was still nothing, I called another friend and told her what was happening and she told me to get on a bus and come to her and she’d be with me while I did the pregnancy test.

When I arrived at her house I went straight to the bathroom to get it over with . I remember wee-ing all over my hand and the seat as I was shaking so much doing the test.

It was negative.

Blissfully, beautifully negative.

I wasn’t pregnant. It was a blip, a glitch in my cycle, sometimes it happens, my doctor told me later.

I wouldn’t be forced to have a baby that I didn’t want, at that time. I wouldn’t have to make a lonely, expensive journey to another country, making up stories of a ‘weekend away’ to cover up the real reason for my trip. I wouldn’t have to sit bleeding on a ferry or an airplane. I wouldn’t have to feel like a criminal for making a choice for me and my life.

But other women would have to. On the day I was sobbing with relief in my friend’s bathroom, ten women were sitting in clinic waiting rooms in the UK, waiting to have an abortion, unable to access this healthcare at home.

And ten women have travelled EVERY day since then. In fact ten women have travelled every day since 1983 when the clause outlawing abortion was inserted into our Constitution. Ten women are traveling as you’re reading this.

I still don’t know, 15 years later, what I would have done if the pregnancy test had turned out to be positive. I think about it now and again. I don’t have an answer. I just remember that overwhelming feeling that I really had no choice in the matter at all.

And that’s one of the reasons why I am pro-choice now. I believe in women and pregnant people having autonomy over their own bodies. I believe in women and pregnant people having choice in whether or not they become parents. And being allowed to access that choice, at home.

If our laws change and abortion becomes available in Ireland there will still be crisis pregnancies. Women will still hide behind magazines crying their eyes out in anonymous cafes. They will still call their friends looking for help and guidance. They will still lie awake at night thinking and worrying and wondering what they’re going to do. But, crucially, they will have two very clear and legal choices. Some will choose to continue the pregnancy and some will choose to end the pregnancy. Whatever they choose to do, they will be able to do so in their own country, safely and legally. This is the bottom line.

This Saturday, September 30, 2017,  the Abortion Rights Campaign will hold its annual March for Choice in Dublin City Centre calling for a full repeal of the clause in our Constitution that prohibits abortion here (the Eighth Amendment) and for legislation to be passed allowing free, safe and legal abortion access for Irish citizens, in Ireland. They need boots on the ground to really highlight this issue to the general public and to Government. This is why I’m telling my story of why I’m marching and why I’m pro-choice. Please come and join us on Saturday. Please come up for the March. We need you.

– Karen, Kildare

NOTE: This week the Irish Government announced that a referendum in relation to repealing the Eighth will be held in the middle of next year. We still don’t know the exact date, the wording of that Referendum or how exactly it will work or what legislation is being proposed but for now it is to be cautiously welcomed. The March for Choice is even more vital now as we work towards the Referendum.

Image: March for Choice 2016. Image credit: Renee Summers

We’ve come up with some great new chants to use in this year’s March for Choice – get practicing!

     Use your voice, time for choice

     Don’t wait, repeal the 8th

     No more women on the boat, now it’s time to call a vote

     Leo, Leo take note, the people of Ireland want a vote

     Hey Varadkar hear our cry, while you ignore us, women die

     Tick tock, it’s repeal o’clock

     Women’s rights are human rights

     My body, not yours

     Keep your rosaries off our ovaries

     My body, my choice

     Time to repeal the 8th, later will be too late

     Later will be too late, women must decide their fate

     Nananana nananana hey Leo, repeal (sung)

     Sick of waiting, sick of your spiel, sick of stigma, we want repeal

     Time to repeal, time to act, time to take our bodies back

     Hear our voice, this is what we feel, there’s just one choice, we want repeal

     Fuck your bromance and your socks, don’t send women to the docks

     Leo, Leo see the light, give all women human rights

     In women we trust

     Hear us now, hear us clear, the time for a referendum is here

     It’s time to choo chooo choooose choice

     Ten a day, let them stay

This year, for the first year ever, we will be fundraising at our March for Choice. We will be passing buckets around at the march and our Afters will be a ticketed party. Anyone who was at the March for Choice is welcome at the after party (you do not need to be a long-term ARC member or volunteer), which is just €10 and runs from 5p.m. to 10 p.m. in Cafe en Seine on Dawson Street. There will be a BBQ, and anyone in before 7p.m. will receive a free drink.

We are facing into a referendum year, and we are a small, volunteer force with an enormous task on our hands. The Taoiseach has indicated that the referendum will be in May or June. We have just 9 months to raise enough money to run a referendum campaign to repeal the 8th amendment.

The march has grown year on year thanks to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers in our organisation. Making a vibrant, safe and colourful march costs money. Because we prioritise representing groups from all over Ireland and we realise that travel to Dublin can be expensive and difficult to arrange, we subsidise buses for our regional groups to travel to our biggest annual event, the March for Choice. We print fliers and posters. We pay for sound systems and we advertise, to make sure our event reaches the widest audience possible. We rent rooms for trainings, to make sure our event is safe and inclusive.

We know that money is tight, rents are exorbitant and many people have precarious work . We do not want to pressure anyone to put their hand in their pocket but if you do have the means, we would really welcome your support. We know that marginalised people are disproportionately affected by the 8th amendment and that abortion has always been a class issue in ireland. This disproportionate effect on people with less means has always been a driving force behind our efforts to bring about free, safe and legal abortion in Ireland. We want to assure you that there is no expectation for a donation, and that everyone always has been and always will be welcome at our events. But if you can spare some money we would appreciate it.

We are a grassroots, all-volunteer campaign which means that every penny you give us in donations goes back into the fight for free, safe and legal abortion in Ireland.

Illustration by Gavin Fullerton

Two years ago, while I was still living in Ireland, I got pregnant. I had just started a new job and the guy I had been sleeping with had recently left my city and would return to his home country soon. I noticed changes in my body before I had even missed my period. Deep down I knew the result when I was taking the test, but that didn’t stop it feeling dreamlike and surreal when I saw the result on the small digital screen: Pregnant, 1-2 weeks.

My first step was to Google “abortion pills Ireland.” I had spent my entire adult life being terrified of pregnancy, with many days of paranoia waiting for my period, and I had already done my research on the site that ships abortion medication to the various countries around the world where it’s still illegal.

I emailed them, then got into bed and cried. I was living at home at the time and when my mother came to check on me, I told her. It was uncomfortable, but I knew I was extremely lucky to have such a supportive reaction from her. She was behind me no matter what I decided. I told her I definitely wanted an abortion and was going to order the pills. She was worried and desperately wanted me to take some days off work and fly to England, but I was vehement that I didn’t want that.

There were a few reasons why. Partly it was because it would feel like a much bigger event in my life than if I stayed in my home and took a pill. I didn’t want it to be a big deal and I dreaded the unpleasantness of travel, a clinic and a strange hotel room. Partly it was because I would need her financial help to go, and although she could afford it, I wanted to sort it out on my own. I had gotten myself into this situation, I thought, and I would get myself out of it. The pills cost around a hundred euro, which I could manage.

And partly it was defiance. I wanted to give the abortion law the middle finger. I wanted to take control of my own body. When I had done my previous research into abortion, I had come across very old, home remedy-style methods involving parsley and pennyroyal tea. This was how women dealt with unwanted pregnancies in the past, by themselves. The abortion pill felt closer to that and the idea of it somehow made me feel more powerful in the situation than the thought of a surgical abortion.

I had the pills shipped to a village in Northern Ireland. It was impossible to have them sent anywhere in the South. I was in anxious knots waiting to get an update on its arrival, each day crawling by slowly as I tried to pretend like everything was normal. Then I found out that in my panic, I had made a mistake when ordering them and the post office had rejected the package. It was being sent back to the other side of the world. This was a huge blow, and I sobbed out of frustration and fear. I just wanted it to be over.

I contacted the organisation who sent the pills and they told me that to prevent them being returned again, it would be ideal to have them sent to a residential address. The problem with this was that I didn’t know anyone who lived in the North. In desperation, I went on Reddit and searched for a pro-choice group in Northern Ireland. Through this I arrived on the profile of a woman who I could see had posted in that sub-reddit previously. I took a chance and messaged her, telling her about my situation and basically begging her to help me.

I’ve never met this woman face to face, but she showed me so much kindness. She was understandably very nervous about letting me send the package to her house, with her full name on it. She was understandably suspicious that I could be an anti-choice activist who meant her harm. But she still helped me. Once the package arrived, she left it for me in a café in Belfast. My mother drove me up to get it on my day off, and then back home. An all-day trip.

That alone was such an anxious, miserable journey that I’m really not sure if I made the right choice in not going to England. When I got the pills in my hand, it all became more real. I won’t pretend that I felt nothing for the fetus growing inside me. In all honesty, I did. Looking back, I think hormones played a big role in this. Your body wants to be pregnant, and wants you to protect the pregnancy. Before that I was pretty sure I never wanted children. But being pregnant woke up maternal feelings in me, which I guess isn’t surprising.

Mostly I was ready for the ordeal to be over and to get back to all the plans I had for my life that a child would totally disrupt. Mostly I knew that I was still unable to look after myself properly, never mind another person. Mostly I knew that if I was ready to have this child, I wouldn’t have bought abortion pills. So I took them. I told the father what my decision was. While he had been very supportive of me and said he would be on board either way, I could hear relief in his voice when he heard I was going ahead with the abortion.  

When I started to bleed, I cried. I grieved. The cramps were the worst pain I’ve ever been through. I had planned to go to work the following day but I was dizzy and weak and had to call in sick. I’m pretty sure my boss thought I had faked it to go to a festival for the weekend.

It was difficult not being able to tell her, or other people, what I had been through. I did tell a few people, and some of them tried their best to help me through it. But overall, it was a very lonely time. I also had trouble finding a place that provided aftercare for a medical abortion. The sadness, guilt and shame took quite a while to go away. But it’s gone now. These days I feel nothing but relief that I made the decision I did. And immense gratefulness towards the organisation that sent me the pills, the stranger who helped me get them and my mother who was supportive to me throughout the whole thing and long afterwards.

I think the morality of abortion is a confusing issue. But most people agree that the earlier an abortion takes place, the more ethical it is. So a quick, medical abortion is more ethical than needing to wait to arrange travel, time off work, accommodation and an appointment at the clinic. Women who have abortions are already people, with emotions and lives that are being disrupted, whereas a fetus merely has the potential to become a person. No emotions, no lives, no pain up until a certain point.

I know good, lovely people who are Catholic and I’m sure they believe they’re doing the right thing by voting against the right to choose in the upcoming referendum. I’m hopeful that some of them may change their minds during the discourse that will lead up to it. But the Catholic Church as an organization has such a long and gruesome history of mistreating the most vulnerable people in our society, that it seems pretty laughable that they feel they have any right to say anything. The pagan goddesses they tried to erase from history, the women they threw into slave labour camps and whose babies they sold, the people they raped, the children they beat to death and those whose corpses they buried in mass, unmarked graves. Where was the respect for life then?

I live in Vietnam now, where there are 1.5 million orphans. I wonder why anti-choice activists don’t spend their time, energy and money helping those children. Real, sentient, living, suffering children. They lie in cots all day in their orphanages. They’re fed and cleaned, but they never get a hug. Their development is severely affected by the lack of human interaction. There are just too many of them and too few carers to provide love and affection to them as well as the other necessities.

People will read this and condemn me, they’ll say I’m a murderer, I’m selfish and irresponsible, I’m a slut, I’m going to hell. All I can say is that, personally, I don’t believe I murdered someone. What I killed was a collection of cells. Those cells had the potential to become a person, and I won’t pretend that I’m not at all curious about who that person would have been. But when I made the choice to kill the cells, they weren’t a person yet. And that was the right choice for me – a person.

We are so grateful to everyone who chooses to share their abortion story with us. If you’d like to share yours, you can contact us on social media or email media@abortionrights.ie