When we cast our vote on May 25th to repeal or retain the eighth amendment we will send out a powerful signal to the world that will impact on women, families, communities and movements far beyond Ireland.
In spite of the strong progress that has been made in the advancement of women’s rights in the past decades, there are some very troubling counter-vailing trends across Europe, the US and many developing countries – with women’s reproductive rights and access to abortion as particularly fraught flashpoint for this.
In some developing countries, we have seen the tragic and horrific consequences of harshly imposed restrictions on abortion access. In Paraguay in March of this year, a fourteen-year-old girl who was the victim of rape tragically died during childbirth; her body too young to safely carry out a pregnancy[1]. In 2015, an eleven-year-old child was forced to carry a pregnancy to term in spite of the enormous risks posed to her health as a result[2]. In El Salvador, women have been imprisoned for more than 10-years for miscarrying – under suspicion that they may have acted deliberately to induce miscarriage or stillbirth[3].
Even within this context, the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution is a harsh and inflexible measure. In Ireland, procuring an abortion, regardless of age, circumstance or associated danger (short of an immediate threat to one’s life), potentially carries a fourteen-year prison sentence. The stories of the inevitably tragic consequence of this are many; for example, in March this year it was reported that an Irish 12 year old was given an abortion in England which she would have been forced her to carry to term under Irish law despite the dangers posed for someone so young or else faced a criminal penalty[4]. It should be a sobering realisation to all of us in Ireland that our eighth amendment lends credibility and legitimacy to the implementation of similar horrendous laws and their tragic consequences around the world.
The imposition of Trump’s “Global Gag Order” last year further jeopardised the health of women in developing countries. The global gag order withholds funding from any non-U.S. organisation that offers abortion services, information or referrals. As a result, millions of marginalised women cannot access contraception, family-planning information, abortion where required or full healthcare throughout pregnancy[5].
In our neighbouring European countries, the anti-abortion lobby is growing in strength and boldness. Rather than focusing on the issues that have been demonstrated to reduce abortion rates – access to free contraception, informed medical-led family planning, sex education, the lobby is focusing on shutting down women’s access to care. In Italy, doctors face huge pressure and intimidation to join the register of “conscientious objectors” to abortion, leaving women in many regions of Italy forced to travel long distances[6]. Protesters are gathering outside abortion clinics in the UK to intimidate women as they go in[1]. In Poland, legislation has been proposed to impose further restrictions on access to abortion – and has been met with strong resistance[2].
Whether in Ireland, or Europe or developing countries, it is the vulnerable and the marginalised who are consistently most penalised by the controls placed on their bodies and their choices. It is the girls and women who can’t afford contraception, who are victims of abuse, who are in controlling and abusive relationships, who suffer health difficulties and disabilities, who do not have the means to travel. These girls and women deserve better than coercion, criminalised and for society to turn a blind eye to them. They deserve support, understanding and the best possible healthcare.
In Ireland, we have seen the strength of a grassroots movement grounded in compassion for women in crisis and commitment to the advancement of human rights and equality. In so many countries, communities and households around the world, women are fighting a similar battle. We can stand with them and support them. In the year of the centenary of women’s suffrage, it seems apt to quote the suffragette Millicent Fawcett, “Courage calls to courage everywhere”. The courage of so many Irish women and girls to tell their story and the courage of us in Irish society to fight for them can send out a powerful signal to women and girls around the world fighting for justice and rights.
Repeal the Eighth Amendment for women and girls everywhere.
Vote Yes.
By Janet Horner.
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ealing-council-abortion-clinic-ban-protests-marie-stopes-london-labour-party-a8298621.html
[2] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/nationwide-protests-in-poland-against-move-to-restrict-abortion-1.3438363
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/mar/22/paraguayan-rape-victim-14-dies-giving-birth
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/13/paraguay-11-year-old-gives-birth-abortion
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/el-salvador-upholds-30-year-sentence-stillbirth-case-171215104626774.html
[4] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/garda%C3%AD-investigate-12-year-old-s-abortion-in-britain-1.3431941
[5] https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/14/trumps-mexico-city-policy-or-global-gag-rule
[6] https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/claudia-torrisi/abortion-italy-conscientious-objection
Shorter than me 
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