Can a march make a difference?
People from every generation, every gender and every sexuality took to the streets to lend their bodies and voices to the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment.
The tone of the 5th annual March For Choice was determined. There was chanting not singing amongst the record numbers that walked Dublin’s streets. It was a march of conviction not celebration.
This is an issue of women and men’s reproductive choices but it is also an issue of crisis. Unlike the pride that emerged during the same-sex marriage referendum the ending of unwanted pregnancy is not an issue that can be turned into a party.
Being pro-choice in Ireland does not necessarily mean believing abortion is right. It means believing abortion should be a choice on Irish land; the choice of the individual and not that of a government.
The deeper into the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment we go, the more conflicts arise. Ask the right questions and you could potentially identify as being a member of either side.
Is murder wrong? Is killing a baby wrong? Is killing a pre-born baby wrong? Yes, yes, yes. Are you therefore pro-life?
Should a woman have to carry a pregnancy of rape? Should a woman have to have a baby if it could kill her? Should parents have to continue with a pregnancy knowing their baby will never survive? No, no, no. You are of course pro-choice.
This is an issue of ethics, of morality, of sexism and of religion. It is divisive. It is worth asking questions of yourself and of others.
The message of the March for Choice was bodily autonomy, the right of the individual to choose how to live their life.
There have been questions about what could replace the 8th amendment should a national referendum chose to remove it from the constitution.
In March A Red C poll commissioned by Amnesty International, revealed that
- 87% of respondents want abortion access expanded
- 72% want abortion decriminalised
- 73% believe the current Government should hold a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment
- 66% consider it “hypocritical” that the Constitution bans abortion in Ireland but allows women to travel abroad for abortion
Successfully removing the 8th amendment from the constitution will not mean abortion is automatically legal in Ireland. The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 would continue to regulate abortion provision in Ireland until it is successfully challenged.
Repealing the 8th however would allow legislators to constitutionally decriminalise abortion and to legalise access to abortion information and procedures. Abortion in Ireland is currently punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
There is uncertainty over what restrictions could potentially be in place should the 8th amendment be removed from the constitution.
If abortion was legalised on a case by case basis, it could still see the majority of women travelling for abortion. For example if abortion was legalised in the case of rape, a woman may have to ‘prove’ she was raped and given that an estimated 58% of rape cases are not reported to formal authorities this could incur further traumatisation.
The particularities of the legislation would be in the hands of the Oireachtas.
The citizens’ assembly which will serve as the government’s gauge of national desire for a referendum will begin on October 15th, the 8th amendment is the first item up for discussion.
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