From left: Queen Mary’s University last night: Speakers from left Ailbhe Smyth, Dr Leah Desmond, Fiona de Londres, Emma Campbell and Ann Furedi
Queen Mary’s University, London.
More than 300 people attended an event to to support the campaign to make abortion legal in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Laura O’Neill, of the London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, writes
We heard from several speakers, who detailed a number of legal cases, including the prosecution of a woman for helping her 15-year-old daughter access abortion pills online.
A Belfast Court has granted leave for a judicial review, but if convicted the mother faces up to 10 years in prison.Details of the case drew gasps from the audience, which was mainly made up of Irish ex-pats:
Emma Campbell from the Alliance for Choice told the crowd that the current laws are especially unfair on poorer women, who cannot afford to travel for an abortion.
Ann Furedi from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, an organisation which helps women access abortion, echoed her sentiments.
“We stand with our sisters in Northern Ireland and the Republic. Women in Ireland need abortion for the same reasons as women in Britain.”
She called for the law in Northern Ireland to be brought in line with the rest of the UK “so women living in Newcastle, County Down have the same access as women in Newcastle on Tyne”.
Ailbhe Smyth from the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment based in the Republic of Ireland said she was heartened by the “huge crowd” who attended.
She told the audience that she believed a constitutional referendum on the Eighth Amendment would take place in the Republic within the next 18 months.
“The ban against abortion is dangerous and fatal in some cases. It’s great to see a social movement around this. I believe this is a fight we can win,” she added.Ms Smyth also expressed concerns over the implications that Brexit could have on the 3,600 women, who are forced to leave Ireland to access abortion services every year.
“What will happen to these women if border or immigration controls come in? We simply don’t know if women will be able to travel freely. Media reports suggest that this vitally important issue wasn’t discussed when An Taoiseach Enda Kenny met British Prime Minister, Theresa May, in Dublin last Monday….
The Eighth Amendment is a profound source of discrimination and national shame for Ireland and we are calling on our young Irish diaspora to support its repeal. These are young women and men who want – and expect – to return to an Ireland that is just, committed to equality, and where women have the right to make our own reproductive decisions.”
The London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign
AAAHHHHHHH
This entire article has me seething, not because it’s ugly and depressing but it’s the same tired old rag-feminists trying to pollute and poison real womens minds.
”Ms Smyth also expressed concerns over the implications that Brexit could have on the 3,600 women, who are forced to leave Ireland to access abortion services every year.”
3600 women, every single year.
Why are Irish women so utterly stupid and clueless in regards their own sexual health?
Why do they blindly enter into sexual relationships with absolutely no regard for any consequences?
This has being going on for many years with 10s of 1000s of abortions, and not once have any of these so-called ‘Womens Rights’ groups ever campaigned for safe sex or contraception.
Are you a man who’s girlfriend had an abortion?
Remember this is all your fault yet you don’t have a say in the matter.
….”tired old rag-feminists trying to pollute and poison real womens minds”
ladies and gentlemen, the alt right
Take responsibility for your own actions, rather than blaming “stupid and clueless” women who take responsibility for theirs by either choosing to have a baby, or choosing to terminate the pregnancy. You shouldn’t be having sex with women without taking care of their own contraceptive needs. Wear a condom regardless of whether she’s on the pill or not… Either that, or just confine yourself to masturbation or sex with men and post menopausal women. We don’t get pregnant miraculously, you know!
I did, but then again I’m pretty sure I’m the reincarnation of Holy Mary *bows head*
Any chance of an aul miracle, there?
You’re a virgin? Who knew!
+1
Yea. I hear they actually like cock Henry. That’s how.
@Henry, I compliment you on excellent trolling, keep up the good work! I do like to wind people up myself on occasion but you got in there ahead of me this time.
As a Man I dont claim to understand this issue, but Im going to trust women to make their own decisions about their own bodies.
Ps Dr. Woods , Im kinda glad OP annoyed you , I do wonder what kind of other things annoy you.
Cucked
…And Lazarus laughed…
Henry, put a sock on your cock – good advice for young men, no?
Real women eh? They exist ?
It’s amazing the way a woman will insist on washing an item of clothing per the garment’s instructions but have unprotected sex. Also do we have any rape pregnancy figures? I doubt it.
Given you brought it up, do you have numbers on “rape pregnancies”? Start with the stats on pre-teens forced to give birth?
Good question.
Do you again have any figures on rape pregnancies?
What a coup to get Ann Furedi the CEO of BPAS to attend. I’d have thought they’d just have sent a business development manager. But Ireland is a real nice potential new market. Marie Stopes must be gutted they weren’t on the podium. But I guess they’re still getting their house in order after all that criticism and the moritorium, they’re not really in expansion mode.
The odour of Soros off Anne Furedi
It most feel so great to be a subject matter expert on abortion
Unsafe sex, failure to contribute to the baby you fathered,rape,unavailability of contraception and abortion.
They are all wrong but all still happen whether abortion is legal or not.
Why divide the nation again to legalise a unnecessary evil.
Ireland is full of contradictions, Equal Marriage but no abortion. Decent, honest citizens but nasty bent politicians. The beauty of the scenery contrasted with the horror of Temple Bar. The best Pride parade in Europe and the Rose of Tralee.
And of course it’s something that unites the law north and south.
Only a thought
Tell the husbands of Sheila Hodgers, Michelle Harte, Savita Hallapanavar etc that the life saving treatment denied to their dead wives is an “unnecessary evil”
Abortion is necessary. Women die without access to it.
Your right daisy, provisions should be in place, however it should be pricey and regulated, if unable to pay only accessible through referral
So, anything goes if you have the readies? That sounds fair ;-(
I’m sorry I can think of no other way of keeping it from being an industry, that’s the last thing we need..
Taxes pay for lots of things people object to, like free chemo for smokers so why shouldn’t women who pay taxes and need an abortion have their medical treatment covered too?
Elitist abortions for all
It’s always embarrassing when trolls deign to offer “opinion”
Good try Neil
pricey? so you want to keep the proles down, yeah?
And potential people die because of it. I use that term because it is less emotive and this is a debate that is emotive enough already.
Abortion on demand is an unnecessary evil, it is not civil or societally necessary.
Excellent medical care for all is an absolute human right, including women who must make the hard choice to have a termination or their partner if they cannot choose.
your jizz is a potential person, how about you stop w***ing
Well said
But not a fully formed thought, Demos. I was with you until your third paragraph. Think about it a bit more – go beyond the yuck factor, which affects us all.
Sheik
I must admit to suffering from yuck factor.
When my first three daughters were born- not easy to see my wife suffer – yucky.
When she miscarried – major league yuck and tears.
When we were told that latest potential human might be severely disabled- yuck times 10000000 – plus genuine terror.
When my thoroughly lovely disabled daughter was born- actually yuck left then.
When my own daughter gave birth to a very premature little daughter- yuck had gone by then.
Yes – yuck is a factor but I love life too much for yuck to matter too much these days.
I hope and pray that you never experience yuck in your life, may your days be lived in light.
Oh and incidentally- my wife had her own yuck two years ago when the doctors told her to turn my respirator off, I would never recover from my coma. Turns out they were wrong. I’m never likely to run the marathon again but do a fairly good job of not being a zombie.
Congratulations on what sounds like a rich and full life – long may it continue – and I understand your love and reference for life. However, the circumstances for other people may be entirely different and I still maintain that they are entitled to make choices which may not be pleasing to you, me or the woman around the corner.
Demos, the existence of some contradictions in life does not justify the contradictions of all.
Unsafe sex happens and contraception fails (a lot more than people think). But we still fail on sex education and we know we failed on contraception. BTW, the number of women seeking abortions in GB (for island of Ireland) has halved since contraception became available. Imagine how much more your “unnecessary evil” would be unnecessary if the church hadn’t stigmatised contraception so much and for so long.*
But, everyone’s assumption leads to “abortion on demand”, as if it just becomes a form of contraception. Yet that never happens does it? In all the countries with legalized abortion and all the stats the release on abortion, THAT NEVER HAPPENS. It’s easy to see beyond IONA spin and fear-mongering, very easy with google and official government statistics. Because it isn’t “on demand” it is regulated and still requires reasoning from a doctor, every single abortion is reported and recorded. You don’t get an abortion at a spa while getting a bikini wax.
The simple fact is that it isn’t unnecessary, even under the vague “mental and physical health of the mother” grounds, there are reasons:
Complications of pregnancy: hypertension, excessive vomiting, diabetes, amniotic fluid disorders and Premature rupture of membranes;
Diseases of the circulatory system
Diseases of the nervous system
Diseases of the genitourinary or musculoskeletal system and
Other maternal conditions unrelated to pregnancy such as cancer and epilepsy
That is without fetal abnormality issues (yes and debate).
“Unnecessary Evil”, you know what, fupp off and fupp all of you with this inflammatory crap. Deny a woman the right to decide whether she lives or dies is evil. Hannah Arendt has been very much in light for obvious reasons these last few weeks, but she’s right about the banality of evil. Except it isn’t just politicians and bureaucrats, she was clear in that.
It’s frightening how easily you twice threw out “unnecessary evil” and linked it all back to the big fear of “abortion on demand”. Evidence of the trauma, pain and death women are being put through means nothing.
It was well-nigh impossible for him to know or to feel that he was doing wrong.
*Aside, couple of years ago me and wife got a weekend in a fancy hotel for some us time with grandparents looking after our son. Nice fancy hotel, spa, sauna, smoochie. Except I forgot the rubbers and had to run into the local town to get a pack. Old lady who ran the pharmacy refused to sell me any. Actually said no and I had to wait until her daughter drove from her home (after she phoned her in front of everyone in the shop). Daughter then reached under the counter and dusted off a wooden box for me to pick the single condom of my choice. What a country.
Every so often we hear of people who have to travel abroad for operations / medical treatment that isn’t available in Ireland. Sometimes they have to fundraise because the costs are high.
and?
300 people attending? Where? Most of seats are empty!