“I felt trapped in my body and trapped in my country”, said Flynn, now 48. “And seeing them really address what they were told and challenging that as pensioners has been very powerful”.
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Ireland has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world.
The Eighth Amendment, which was added to the constitution following a referendum in 1983, banned abortion in Ireland unless there was a “real and substantial risk” to the mother’s life. The day of the referendum in 1983, Mary Robinson, the 7th president of Ireland, was already arguing that ‘Even the concept of the word “unborn” is not known to lawyers, ‘ and that it was so vague that certain types of contraceptives might even be rendered illegal by the vote.
Activists from the “yes” campaign, urging people to vote yes in the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, canvas voters in Dublin.
Ireland can not be categorized as a religious country today.
Without the Eighth Amendment, the well-being of women and their unborn babies would be left in the hands of whatever group of politicians happens to hold the balance of power at any particular time.
“Please vote yes on Friday!”.
Co-director Ailbhe Smyth said: “This will be a moment of profound change in Ireland’s social history, a moment when the nation collectively stood up for women and for their healthcare, and voted for constitutional change”.
Thousands of citizens of Ireland travelled back to take part in the historic vote and many took to Twitter with the hashtag #hometovoteyes.
LIUFL wishes to demonstrate that the Irish community in the United Kingdom includes many people who are pro-life, make known its support for saving the 8th Amendment, as well as encouraging eligible Irish citizens overseas to go home to vote NO in the upcoming referendum.
Ni Chloscai, 24, managed to crowdfund her plane ticket in less than 12 hours and says that while her journey is a hassle, “it’s nothing compared to the nightmare journey that ten women are forced to make everyday to get an abortion overseas”. Women living in Ireland have abortions, either overseas and at their own cost, or illegally in Ireland with the abortion pill. She says that women are in revolt against the state’s historic mistreatment of women. “No more isolation. The burden of shame is gone”.
A third said: ‘I didn’t think I could love you more, but then you do this. It has left Ireland with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, which have been regularly criticised by a number of worldwide human rights bodies.
“Nobody knows how it’s going to go.”
Hannah Tuthill, 26, from County Louth, flew in for less than two days from Vancouver, where she works in accountancy, after Emer O’Toole, an Irish academic and author based in Montreal (and whom she’s never met) funded her ticket home. She ended up flying to Dublin on Tuesday, in time “to do some quick campaigning and go to my local pub to talk to all the men in there about it”. It wants the 8th Amendment repealed and has raised at least $10,000 so far for the Yes campaign in Ireland.
She also noted that the response from young people in Ireland has been varied. “The baby and the inhumanity of abortion are rarely mentioned in the political debates”, Buckley said in his statement. “We can give more options and provide better care at home”, he said. “With the older generation it’s how they’ve always lived, so it’s hard to convince them”. Shortly after my boyfriend and I made the joint decision that we would travel to England. After 12 weeks abortion would only be available in cases of fatal foetal anomaly, if the pregnant woman’s life was at risk or if her health was at risk of serious harm.
Voters over 65 were the only age group overall not supporting the repeal of the amendment. “Quiet revolution” is a phrase used in a comparable situation in Quebec 60 years ago, where a traditionally Catholic culture liberalized in a short period. “It’ll be so divisive”. “It’s an issue of human rights”.
We decided not to go to England, and it was the right choice for us. And we say that we trust women and we respect women and their decisions.
I was just looking for help and support, understanding and compassion.’ And across Ireland we found the battle to repeal the 8th is fuelled by compassion, courage and creativity.
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“I’m very upset that women were made to feel like they should be frightened going into Irish hospitals, which was a failing of Yes campaigners because our worldwide record is fantastic in this area”.
