Choice Ireland Calls For Greater Reproductive Freedom

dublin | gender and sexuality | feature

Thursday July 05, 2007 08:53

by R.E. Silvera - Choice Ireland

ascots at gmail dot com

0879478051

A Report From Last Saturday's Rally

A Pro-choice Activist Addresses The Rally

On Saturday 30th of June, 2007, Choice Ireland held a rally at the Central Bank Plaza at 2pm. The theme of the rally was "Fight for a Woman's Right to Choose". In attendance were Senator David Norris as well as Ivana Bacik and a representative from Doctors for Choice, who spoke on their different experiences of the issue of reproductive rights, as well as the status of the campaign in the light of a recent M-R-B-I poll that presented that a majority of people now support legislating for abortion rights in the Republic of Ireland.

It was a busy Saturday noon, and Dublin's hive-like activity carried on as usual. While tourists, emo/goth teens and shoppers walked around, some people were handing out fliers in order to try and get some last-minutes attendants to the rally which was about to begin. Choice Ireland had been slowly gaining notoriety due to their work during the recent D case, in which a young woman was denied the right to travel for an abortion since she was in the care of the Health Service Executive. Moreover, recent polls commissioned by the Irish Family Planning association show a great change in attitudes to abortion in Ireland. Capturing the mood of those polls, Choice Ireland held a brief leafleting event in front of Dail Eireann on June 27th, with a suitcase or backpack for each Irish woman that, statistically, travels daily for an abortion either to the UK or elsewhere in the European Union.

After the introduction by Choice Ireland member Shonagh, Seanad candidate Professor Ivana Bacik took the stage. Her speech congratulated Choice Ireland on their efforts and called for attention to women's rights from mainstream politicians, who had notoriously shied away from the issue in the light of a looming election campaign which followed shortly after the D case came to public attention. Bacik's articulate delivery prompted cheers from the crowd during and after her speech.

Next up was Senator David Norris, known for his work on gay rights and innumerable other campaigns. He reminded those in attendance of the attitudes he had faced himself, as well as the ignorant way in which gender rights were treated in mainstream Irish politics. He called for the campaign not to sink to the lows displayed by people opposed to it, saying all voices should be heard, and none should lie about or silence the other. His witty take on the issue was informative while providing a smile to the faces of the crowd.

Following on from Senator Norris was a representative from Doctors for Choice, who went in-depth regarding the issue of choice in the medical field, the fact that many doctors would like to speak out but can't due to fear for their reputation or their jobs. However, she reassured the crowd that this meant that the number of physicians supporting abortion legislation is much larger than one would assume. She also explained in no uncertain terms that abortion is a safe medical procedure, demystifying the misinformation distributed by outlets such as 50 Dorset Street, a known rogue pregnancy counselling agency.

Shortly after, a representative from Alliance for Choice read out a statement from said group calling for the need to legislate on the matter and raise awareness. A member of Choice Ireland briefly followed, reading a statement from Psychiatrists for Choice. Finally, Sinead Ahern of Choice Ireland spoke on behalf of the group, outlining its principles and the insidious techniques utilised by many in the pro-life campaign. She drew attention to the rogue agency in Dorset Street, which has operated under many names and upon which no legal charge can be brought despite its provision of misinformation. Sinead spoke of her experience passing herself off as pregnant to investigate the agency. Among these lies was, for example, the idea that a woman who has had an abortion would become genetically depressed and pass on this trait to the rest of her family. This was the final speaker in the act.

Despite the irregular summer weather, the rally had a large turn-out and, uncharacteristically, only a solitary heckler, who silenced himself upon realising the mood was not in his favour. The days of violence over abortion rights in Ireland may soon be in the past. Many left in great spirits due to the rally's perceived success. A British woman in attendance commented on the small size of the rally. A Choice Ireland member, however, remarked that "this is Dublin, we've had a rally with no violence and over 200 people. It's huge progress."

First up was Ivana Bacik, who talked about the background of the Pro-Choice movement and its relevance.