Tag Archives: Repeal the 8th

A Magdalene laundry in the 1950s

In fairness.

Yesterday: The Eighth Day Of Christmas

Previously: ‘Based On The Findings Of The McAleese Report’

“The State Simply Doesn’t Get It”

“It’s Time For Magdalene Survivors’ Testimony To Be Accepted As ‘Evidence’”

‘It’s Difficult To Understand Why Nothing Was Done’

Open The Files

The Magdalene Report: A Conclusion

This afternoon.

In the Dáil.

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger raised the taking down of artist Maser’s Repeal the 8th mural from the Project Arts Centre yesterday.

It was removed after the Charities Regulator informed the centre the artwork is “political activity” and that, as a consequence, the centre is in breach of the Charities Act 2009.

Ms Coppinger, and fellow TD Paul Murphy, held up copies of the mural, as she said:

“I would just like to know what the Taoiseach and others think is so offensive about this – that it should be banned by a State body. And would you agree with me, that we should challenge that… and we should say ‘no, there’s nothing wrong with a heart that calls for repeal’ and there’s nothing… we should not allow political censorship.”

Before Taoiseach Leo Varadkar could respond, Tánaiste Simon Coveney could be heard saying across the chamber:

“Stupid stunts like that do nothing to inform…”

UPDATE:

Watch the Dáil proceedings live here

Yesterday: Once More With Emulsion

George Soros and Colm O’Gorman, of Amnesty International Ireland

Readers may recall how Amnesty International Ireland is continuing to resist demands by the the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) to return a €137,000 donation to fund their campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment from George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.

Yesterday.

Catherine Sanz and Michael Cogley, the Times Ireland edition, reported:

The OSF (Open Society Foundation) contradicted a statement issued by Sipo last Wednesday claiming that Sipo had received written confirmation from the donor that the funding was explicitly for political purposes. Sherry Perreault, head of ethics and lobbying at Sipo, said there had been “a bit of wordsmithing” from the OSF on the matter and that Sipo had verified documents relating to the donation.

There was documentary evidence received by the commission which was verified by the donor,” she said. “By virtue of verifying this information, the donor essentially clarified the intent.”

Fund backs Amnesty’s defiance of watchdog (Catherine Sanz, Michael Cogley, The Times Ireland edition)

Further to this…

Jonathan Birchall, Lead Communications Officer at OSF in New York, has released the following statement:

“The Open Society Foundation wishes to clarify that it has at no time confirmed to Ireland’s Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) that a €137,000 grant given by our Women’s Rights Program to Amnesty International Ireland (AI) in 2016 was for political purposes.

“Open Society has written to the regulator asking for any public statements to the contrary to be corrected.

“The grant in question was to fund AI’s My Body My Rights campaign, which seeks to mobilize support for a repeal of the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution, which effectively bans all forms of abortion in Ireland in violation of women’s and girls’ human rights.

In asserting that the grant was for “political purposes” SIPO’s head of ethics and lobbying, Sherry Perreault, was quoted in The Times of Ireland on December 20 as saying that there was “documentary evidence received by the commission which was verified by the donor” which “essentially clarified the intent.”

“The Open Society Foundations is concerned that the regulator may be referring to internal documents that were stolen from our servers and illegally published on the DC Leaks website in 2016, reportedly by hackers working for the Russian government seeking to publicly discredit our human rights work around the world.

“As Open Society has noted to SIPOC in correspondence, these documents were not dispositive of our intent as a donor. Rather, they were part of an ongoing discussion on how best to strengthen women’s reproductive rights across Europe.

“In addition, it was Amnesty who first approached Open Society, in a general call for expressions of interest for a grant that was not specific to abortion.

“Furthermore, the legal scope of the grant given to Amnesty International is determined by the language of the grant agreement, and not by any other document. The Open Society Foundations trusts that SIPO will rely only on this document to determine whether the terms of this grant comply with Irish law.”

Previously: Above The Law

This afternoon.

Outside Leinster House and outside Buswells Hotel on Molesworth Street, Dublin 2.

Members of the pro-life White Flag Movement group, including Tim Jackson from Co Donegal (first and second pic), who has been on hunger strike for ten days.

Mr Jackson is calling for the all-party Oireachtas committee on abortion to watch a “pictorial representation video of an abortion”, as part of their discussions.

And members of the Abortion Rights Campaign, dressed in Victorian clothing outside Buswells Hotel, after the group held a press conference (third and fourth pic).

The ARC’s annual March for Choice takes place on Saturday.

Yesterday: Nine Months

Rollingnews

 

Aine Philip writes:

The Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment announce the creation of a series of beautiful, hand-painted, stitched and embroidered banners, which will be carried in procession at the upcoming March for Choice on September 30th in Dublin.

The banners are inspired by the Suffragette, Labour, Sodality and Guild groups and all those who have sought social change through cultural means.

…The Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment was founded in 2015 by Cecily Brennan, Eithne Jordan, Alice Maher and Paula Meehan. To date, 3,000 of Ireland’s artists, musicians, actors, dancers, writer and poets, have signed up to the campaign.

Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the 8th 

March for Choice (September 30, 2017)

Meanwhile…

 

Via the Arbortiion Rights Campaign (ARC):

It’s Time to Act. 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 at 6th Annual March for Choice (September 30) to make your pro-choice voice heard, this is your last chance before a referendum is called.

ACT!

Fight!

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Queen’s University, Belfast this morning

This morning.

At Queen’s University in Belfast.

Leo Varadkar gave a speech during his first official visit to Northern Ireland since becoming Taoiseach.

After giving a speech he agreed to take questions from the floor.

One woman (second from the right pictured above) asked Mr Varadkar:

“Taoiseach, on the topic of North/South relations, we know that students from the Republic of Ireland study here and vice versa. Students have a very proud history of advocating social justice issues, as seen in the marriage equality referendum on May 22, 2015 – something you are a strong advocate for north and south of the border and we thank you for your solidarity  at Belfast Pride tomorrow.

“Recently you announced your intention to run various referenda over the next 18 months beginning in June or July. The referendum on the 8th amendment is especially pertinent for students north and south of the border.

“As we all know a high percentage of students travel or work abroad over the summer. Do you agree with us that, in order to fully engage students, this referendum should be held outside of the summer months?”

Mr Varadkar replied:

“Thanks very much. It’s a good question, I haven’t been asked that one yet. It is, we have a process that we’ve agreed involving a Citizens’ Assembly, involving a Oireachtas all-party parliamentary committee but what we’re planning for is a referendum probably May or June of next year.

“It’s not as straightforward as just having a referendum, we have to have wording legislation, a referendum commission and a campaign. So, if we don’t have it before the summer then it’ll probably not happen until the latter part of the year.

“So we haven’t set a date yet. We have had referendums in June before. I think the Good Friday Agreement was a June referendum, if I remember correctly. So was the Fiscal Treaty and we’ve had elections in June as well.

“But I definitely take the point and get the message that younger people would like to have the referendum happen at a time when they’re in the country so that they can fully participate. So we will absolutely take that into account in setting a date.”

Watch back in full here

Pic via Queen’s University

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-10-17-12

Last night.

At the National University of Ireland Galway where Taoiseach Enda Kenny was attending a conference called Ireland 1916-2016: The Promise and Challenge of National Sovereignty.

Anyone?