“How come life has to be so difficult, just because you’re born into this world a woman”

Activist Eileen Flynn’s rally cry to the thousands of women & men who came out on International Women’s Day to support Repeal the 8th. This woman could very well be the Joan of Arc of our generation, not only because she speaks energetically with compassion and pride but also because I think she might be carrying a sword on her at all times.

Eileen speaks to the crowd about standing up for our rights, she says she wasn’t always a ‘feminist’ because she didn’t know what the label meant, but now she knows what it means and now she’s here to fight for it. Eileen’s understanding of labels comes across very clearly, she speaks about the ‘us’ Vs ‘them’ attitudes which prevent us from working together to achieve the equality we all deserve, it’s not about being male or female, it’s about what’s right and wrong and the actions we take to create a society where people have the right to full bodily autonomy and equality for all.

Eileen challenged the real values of ‘Pro-lifers’;
“If you’re pro-life how come you’re not out there helping the homeless, how come you’re not improving the lives of the 3,000 homeless children in this country”

Her words hold such integrity that I’m proud to have been here to march with her today. For Eileen it’s not about what banner you march under but what you’re marching for. I’ve no doubt in my mind that if she was organising this march herself that it would have taken a slightly different direction.

Instead of concluding with a planned protest outside the Dail this organised march, a march for access to dignified health services, took a detour to the Customs House. I’m not sure why this decision was taken but I’m quite concerned that the Repeal movement is not getting the political support it needs two months away from the referendum. The repeal movement might have grass roots beginnings but it needs to recognise the need to progress if it’s to fulfil its destiny. Unfortunately there were more SIPTU flags at the march than SIPTU members. Where were all the nurses? Where were all the midwives? One speaker from Doctors for Choice spoke but why don’t we hear more from the medical professions on RTE?

International women’s day had an opportunity to be remembered for taking on this fight but it probably lacked the numbers and pikes necessary to get to the Dail. This doesn’t make Repeal the 8th a lost cause but it does make knocking on doors a lot tougher. The march highlighted all the work that needs to be done in the next two months and I hope everyone finds the kind of energy Eileen Flynn showed in order to dig in and make Repeal The 8th happen in 2018. 

What do you do when your granny tells you she’s going to vote ‘No’ to repeal the 8th. You can threaten to leave her out of next year’s Christmas dinner and tell her that if she dies in the mean time she’ll be buried in an unmarked grave 15 miles from the cemetery. Of course that would be cruel and unusual but also means she will eliminate you from her will so let’s not be irrational here, anyway at this age of her life if she’s going to vote ‘No’ it’s probably best to make her a flask of Bovril and help her onto the community bus.

The balance of the Repeal Referendum won’t lie with conservative Grannies anyway, and everyone fighting the abortion rights campaign is aware of this. What they need to wake up to though is that there is an uphill struggle in this march for choice that they’re not fully prepared for.

You see the problem is that only 6% of Irish people identify as being non religious (as per the 2011 census). This is very significant, most people I know would be easily identifiable heretics but still say they are Catholic when presented with the question. It’s also more than just a tick in the box on a form, although people say they don’t practice religion they still baptise their children and enjoy other church rituals such as the kind of wedding ceremonies that would make Eamon de Valera proud.

This is significant in that most people still make decisions based on Catholic teachings, despite not attending Church or appearing to present liberal values. This is the result of early schooling indoctrination into the Catholic Church that we somehow have struggled to drive out of this country.

The point being that the Catholic Church is very strongly voicing its opposition to Repeal the 8th and we must assume this is a race to convert and deprogram the majority rather than a race to win the middle ground as previously stated.  

The Repeal movement is acting under the assumption that Ireland has proven it’s a country of liberal values, as 62% of the population supported the Marriage Referendum. However what has to be considered is that same sex marriage is a more straight forward issue, we see civil partnerships in films and TV soaps all the time and people are generally more accepting of same sex relationships as a result of exposure and discussion. We also have to consider the strong political support the referendum had and the fact that people are more open about their sexuality nowadays, even prominent members of the GAA have come out as being openly gay which resulted in a whole new chapter of diversity and acceptance in communities all over Ireland.   

A survey of American adults conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public life found that 57% of Millinnials are in favour of same sex marriage compared to only 46% who say abortion is morally acceptable. Although our referendum would suggest a higher percentage of Millinnial’s in favour of equal rights the sharp drop off is something to be very aware of and significant enough to suggest that the Repeal the 8th Referendum will not pass in Ireland.

The study also showed that although 70% of Americans identify as being ‘ProChoice’ a remarkable 66% also identify with being ‘Pro-Life’. This is because most people view themselves as being liberal and confuse ‘ProChoice’ as simply an issue about equal rights but when presented with an issue such as abortion revert back to the conservative norms which dominate mainstream thinking.

On a positive note the study published some factors which influence support for abortion such as;

1. Knowing someone who’s had an abortion
2. Watching MTV show about unmarried pregnant teenagers
3. Situation based approach to morality

In summary if you want to repeal the 8th locking your granny in the closet won’t be enough to pass the referendum. The tide is against you despite the recent wave of emotion and success in securing a referendum. Finally if you want to repeal the 8th you must continue the discussion with all age groups explaining the different situations women might require an abortion, leave real life articles hanging around the house/office, and watch more MTV.

As a foot note it’s also worth remembering that although the Marriage referendum passed by a 62% majority several counties voted very marginally in favour of equality, representing heavily conservative populations in Donegal South West, Cavan-Monaghan, Mayo and Donegal North-East with Roscommon-South Leitrim voting a majority 51% ‘No’ to same sex marriage. So if you live in these areas get ultra active and start organising now.  

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There is a lot to reflect on from the Repeal The 8th March on Saturday, a crowd of some 40,000 people demanding equality in a peaceful, colourful and good spirited demonstration in the nation’s capital.

However the topic is quite serious and what troubles me is that advocates of the 8th have an unjust advantage in that they seem to very easily manipulate our inherent good nature by implanting falsehoods, claiming the 8th amendment protects children.

So here are five quick pointers from the weekend, which most people on the march would know but that you need to share with your friends in order to overcome the bias of the pro-eighters and their glam rag hate flyers.

1.  The Citizen’s Assembly voted that the issue of abortion should not be dealt with in the constitution but the government have not acted on their independent recommendation to remove the 8th amendment. FF, FG, and SF remain silent on the issue so as not to alienate themselves from voters. This is nothing but cowardly from the largest parties in the state.
2. Ireland has the most repressive abortion laws in Europe. Women or Doctors found aiding an abortion face up to 14 years in prison in Ireland. This is the same sentence women face for having an abortion in Nigeria. This also includes doctors offering medical advice on abortion.
3. Amnesty International called Ireland out for failing to comply with International Human Rights Law. Amnesty’s website carries the following message for Ireland: ‘Women and girls must also have access to abortion on the minimum grounds set out under international human rights law for the duration of their pregnancies. Therefore, they should have access to safe and legal abortion when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, when the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman’s health or following a severe or fatal foetal impairment diagnosis. Abortion ‘on request’ should be available without limits for adolescent girls, guaranteeing their best interests, and ensuring in law and practice that their views are always heard and respected in abortion decisions.’
4. Every day, between 10 and 12 women and girls living in Ireland travel to England for an abortion. The majority of the women are aged between 20 and 34. The 8th amendment does not stop abortions from happening; it just prevents Irish people from accessing medical advice and procedures in Ireland. The 8th amendment also discriminates against asylum seekers and people trapped in Direct Provision who cannot travel for medical procedures.
5. People who want to have children will have children. Irish people are not gendercide monsters who want to terminate all ginger fetuses, not all teenage pregnancies are unwanted babies, access to abortion does not mean we have mass graves of unknown human beings – that was the Catholic Church’s method of dealing with the Tuam babies. We must trust people with their choices. We must show the courage to act now when our government has failed us. 

Act now and demand a referendum to repeal the unlawful 8th amendment, we must ensure it is fully removed from our constitution.