Safe and Legal in Ireland Abortion Rights Campaign

The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign

Safe and Legal demonstration

The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign is of unique significance, as it represents the first major initiative aimed at moving forward on abortion in this country. Anti-choice groups seeking further regressive and unworkable responses to abortion have always led previous campaigns on abortion.

Since the first Constitutional referendum on abortion in 1983, Ireland has changed: more women living in Ireland access abortion services and more women feel angry and frustrated that they have to travel to Britain and other countries to secure these services. The only thing that has not changed is the lack of courage and leadership demonstrated by successive Governments in dealing with abortion in a realistic and rational way.

NEWS: Women 'lose health, money & dignity' because of law

Carl O'Brien, Irish Times

Three women were subjected to indignity, stigmatisation and ill-health as a result of being forced to travel abroad for their abortions, the European Court of Human Rights heard yesterday.

Legal representatives for the women – who are supported by the Irish Family Planning Association – said their clients were unable to challenge the laws in Ireland because there were no effective domestic legal remedies available to them.

Addressing the court, counsel for the women Julie Kay said taking a case in the Irish courts would have been “costly, futile and could have forced them to relinquish their anonymity”.

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BLOG: Fear dictates Ireland's abortion policy

Finola Meredith, guardian.co.uk/commentisfree

Pro-life hatred so dominates the debate it's hard to imagine any real change following this bid to overturn the Irish abortion ban

It has always taken guts to stand up for abortion rights in Ireland, north and south of the border. Straight off, you're likely to be hit by a slew of strident invective from the pro-life lobby, trailing pictures of aborted foetuses in their wake, and nameless bloggers will fall over each other to brand you a baby-murderer.

Sure enough, the three women trying to overturn the Irish abortion ban in the European court of human rights were immediately accused on anti-abortion sites of having "travelled abroad to have their children killed".

Take Action

The Safe and Legal (in Ireland) Abortion Rights Campaign welcomes supporters to become involved and take action to support the campaign.